I AM NOT A PROJECT OF ANYONE, MUDAVADI DECLARES
The party leader Musalia Mudavadi has rubbished claims that he is President Uhuru Kenyatta ‘project’ in next year’s General Election.
The former Vice President in an interview with Citizen Radio said those advancing the ‘project’ narrative are only trying to link him to the failures of the Jubilee government where they themselves are part or have joined it.
In the candid interview, Mudavadi said safe for the National days where he attends on the invitation of the President, he has never taken part in Jubilee government activities to warrant him to be termed a ‘project’ of anyone.
“I am a man of myself, seeking the mandate of Kenyans to be their President. We know those who have been part of the Jubilee government and even accompanied the President in his development project tours,” he said.
The Party leader maintained that those engineering such a narrative are only scared of the unfolding political landscape where Kenyans are now more informed and able to choose the leader they want based on his or her past development track record.
“How can you be a ‘project’ of someone with who you don’t associate or share the running of the government with? Have you seen President Kenyatta campaigning for me or insinuating that he wants me to succeed him? We must respect each other and sell our manifestos to Kenyans and stop advancing propaganda,” said Mudavadi.
At the same time, Mudavadi took issue with ODM Party Leader Raila Odinga over the sharing of the political parties’ money from the exchequer.
He accused Raila of being insincere with his claim that the parties under the NASA coalition are not eligible to get even a penny from the money allocated to ODM.
Mudavadi said in the NASA coalition agreement, the principal parties had agreed on how they would share the finances, parliamentary positions, and even how to get the alliance’s presidential candidate in the 2022 elections if the alliance would still be in place.
The agreement, according to Mudavadi, stipulates how the NASA parties would share the allocation but to date, the ODM party has refused to release any amount to the other three parties of the coalition; Wiper, ANC, and Ford Kenya.
“The agreement is a legal document that we signed and deposited with the Registrar of Political Parties. It has clauses on how the partner parties would share the allocation, not only finances but also parliamentary positions. But we all know what has happened in Parliament where chairpersons of committees have been thrown out,” he told the nation.
In the agreement, Mudavadi maintained that there was a consensus that ODM was not to field a presidential candidate in 2022 whether the coalition had won the presidency in 2017 or not.
“There is a lot of dishonesty in the alliance. A situation that cannot allow us to live up to the aspiration of the NASA dream,” he added.
Asked whether he will heed calls from Raila to strengthen the alliance, Mudavadi said his main agenda at the moment is to strengthen the ANC party and forge partnerships with other parties as he readies himself for next year’s General Election.
“My party has given me the mandate to run for the presidency next year. My energy is focused on that and I will be in the ballot as a presidential candidate. Others are welcome to join our party and together, we work on reviving the economy of our country,” he said.
The country has in recent days been exposed to a political field where calls for mergers and coalitions have been made. The talk of Jubilee working with ODM to form a coalition was rife before it stifled out.
On the other hand ANC, KANU, Wiper, and Ford Kenya have been in discussion over the formation of the One Kenya Alliance (OKA).
“The problems in our country are many. The discussions we are having over a One Kenya Alliance are not centered on defeating any individual but to build our country and improve the economy of this country and the livelihoods of our people,” he said.
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