The former Sabatia MP lost the March 4 presidential election, coming third after Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga. He reflects on the hotly contested polls, his life out of elective politics and his future. He spoke to our writers IBRAHIM ORUKO and DAVID MWERE.
How is life now that you are out of politics for the second time in your political life?
I am not out of politics. I have never announced my retirement. Those who think I am out will be in for a rude shock! The thing is that I don’t hold any electoral seat. I am on a sabbatical. When you are in politics, as I am, you must be prepared for this kind of life, that an electoral outcome can go either way. That is how democracy works.
Do you have any engagements, writing memoirs perhaps?
It’s too early for me to engage in writing memoirs. The anticipation is that when you write memoirs you have reached the end tether. I haven’t. For now I am keeping a keen eye on party and national issues. I am consulting a lot with people across the political divide. I am also watching over the UDF party and exploring the best way it can be strengthened.
What is your future in Kenyan politics? Any active role from now henceforth?
I have just told you I am as active as ever without politicking unnecessarily and precipitating a panicky mode. I am fully focused on strengthening the UDF party. We have already had two retreats with the MPs and a lot is expected as we move to the future. Our desire is to fully comply with the parties’ law and prepare for internal elections.
Have you set the date of party elections?
We shall have to sit down as a party to make that decision because everyone must be involved. You must know that it is too early because it is just four months after the general election and we are not ready to subject our MPs to another rigorous election. We want them to recover. In fact some of them are going through election petitions and it will be unfair to subject them to elections as they struggle with the legal battle of their lives. The only hint I can give is that the elections may be held after the petitions.
You have been too silent politically?
Silent for how long? It is just four months from the last elections! I don’t believe engaging in too much activity that doesn’t add value. My style has always been to take things systematically. I am re-organiSing my party for the future and it’s too early to start assessing the performance of the party in government. The public will see me but I want to plead to all that let’s not create an atmosphere of panic just four months after the election. I will comment on issues, but I will do so systematically.
What will you say to those who dismiss you as politically finished?
Watch this space! We have a turnover every five years. I am looking forward for the next general election. It will be exciting. Let me remind those writing me off that this was my first stab at the presidency. Mwai Kibaki got it at the third attempt. Raila Odinga has tried three times, Uhuru Kenyatta twice. I’ve only tried once and the future for me looks bright.
There have been reports that some of MPs allied to UDF are tilting towards Deputy President William Ruto for a working deal. Are you aware of this and is it the position of the party?
I think the story was salted, if you know what I mean. There was a little bit of PR to sell a certain perception. You are aware as UDF we have a working co-operation with Jubilee Alliance. The MoU is not with an individual but between parties. To say you are supporting an individual creates an impression that you are opposed to another. In this case they are supporting Ruto against who? Whom is he opposed to? This is a pure case of imagined heroics.
But most importantly the media is reading too much in a limited political activity. It is just four months after the elections and we have a whole four years to go. You are reading too much into nothing. You people are referring to two homecomings that Ruto has attended in Western Kenya. I attended the one Lugari MP Ayub Savula hosted but I did not make it to the latest in Busia because I had an engagement in Meru to inter the remains of Reuben Marambii who was a member of our party. I must say that these two homecomings cannot define the nature of politics.
Turning to the relationship of UDF MPs with the Deputy President, I find nothing wrong with that. MPs must interact and there is nothing wrong with that. I can’t gag them.
So it’s your submission that the story as carried by the Star was misleading?
Yes. The story was erroneous and misleading because as I have said we have an MoU with Jubilee whose finer details were signed in broad daylight and deposited with the Registrar of Political Parties as required by law.
But there was a similar deal in December - you were to be the presidential candidate for Jubilee...
That is part of the politics of the past. UDF MPs made a conscious decision after long deliberations and they agreed to work with Jubilee. It was a deliberate decision because it was the view of the majority that our interests would be best taken care of in Jubilee.
What exactly is the MoU about? How has UDF benefited?
It’s about co-operation at parliamentary level on policy issues. The decision was made by the party with the participation of elected MPs to ensure that some of the issues dear to us in our manifesto do not die off. There are obvious policies that cannot wait for five years. Currently House committees are crucial and it is necessary that UDF MPs meaningfully engage at committee levels so that UDF has a meaningful input. We didn’t think that it was prudent for our MPs to wait to make contributions at the plenary with the likelihood of their contributions being ignored.
It is out of this deal that Lugari MP Ayub Savula chairs the committee on Agriculture in the National Assembly; Ben Washiali (Mumias East) was elected the deputy Majority whip. Barring tactical blunders, Senator Bonny Khalwale would have been given responsibility in one of the committees in the Senate.
Has UDF benefited in the sharing of portfolios in government?
The new constitutional dispensation has changed the traditional way of doing things. Senior jobs in the public service are first advertised, and then successful candidates are interviewed. If an individual didn’t apply, there is no way he was going to get the job. You cannot hold UDF to account. We must respect the law at all times.
Do you think the interests of the Luhya people have been taken care of by the Jubilee leadership?
There is a legitimate feeling that that the community has been shortchanged if the constitutionally required threshold of inclusiveness and ethnic balance is the measure. It will be difficult not to read political neglect and discrimination where the second largest community is almost absent in public appointments.
But this should also serve as a lesson to our people. It is important that we take stock as a community and rethink our voting patterns. We must be careful in the kind of coalitions we make because such coalitions will play an important role in the political destiny of the region. We must think carefully as a community on how we can coalesce and maximise the strength of our numbers and turn them into an effective force.
Were you at any time interested in serving in Uhuru cabinet… and that Ruto ensured you missed out. Comment.
Ruto is the Deputy President and the URP leader. I am the UDF leader. I do not know where a section of the media got this idea of my supposed appointment to the Cabinet. It was a crusade from unnamed sources that were never attributed. Whatever it was meant for, I can’t say the worth of it. May be it was meant to paint me as desperate, I am not sure.
There are perceptions that political dynamics are leaving you behind, especially in Western Kenya. Are you concerned as much?
What dynamics? Only four months after the elections? I cannot even say that people have even found their bearings yet. You get some premature rumblings at a funeral podium by those who want to make it to the front page of newspapers. Do you know if you want to make news in Western you must invoke Mudavadi's name?
Do you think that the 2013 general election was free and fair and do you agree with the Supreme Court ruling on the petition filed by Cord’s Raila Odinga?
IEBC had very serious shortcomings, especially with the tallying process, the registration of voters and the failure of the electronic identification devices on the polling day. This compromised the integrity of the elections. This can be seen from the high number of petitions filed in court and the latest saga - the nomination for the Makueni by-election. These challenges must be addressed and I think it is in the interest of the whole nation that it happens sooner rather than later.
The presidential petition in the Supreme Court was a judicial process and whether the verdict was good or bad is neither here nor there. The best thing is to accept and move on. But we must be grateful that we have learned of the many faults that have been manifesting themselves.
Would you say it was a miscalculation for you to contest the presidency that even the Luhya people did not give you votes?
No way. It is good they voted both ways. That is part of the electoral cycle.
Do you consider the outcome in Western a rejection of everything you stand for?
It was not a rejection. If you are in politics and you contest you must expect such things. The people of Western had their right to vote the way they did. I am sure next time they will vote differently and decide to vote for me.
Do you regret having resigned from ODM?
Absolutely not. I have no regret and I will do it all over again today were a similar situation to play out today. Also, I will never apologise to anybody for contesting the presidency in the last general election. Nothing stops me from the contesting in future because I have a democratic and constitutional right. The decision to contest was mine and I did it consciously.
What are you doing to ensure that you remain politically relevant?
My concern now is to make UDF strong to compete effectively next time. One of the drawbacks we had in 2013 is being a young party we lacked the necessary and strong structures. We want to change that and ensure the people must own the party.
Uhuru and Ruto are younger than you. If everything works for them they could exchange leadership until 2032. Are you worried?
They are young and a perfect duo. But let’s not speculate on who will contest in future elections because it is too early. We shall know as we move closer to the elections.
You were a key player in preparing the ground for devolution. Are you satisfied with the implementation process?
We have seen a level of reluctance on the part of the Jubilee government coming through, like when the National Assembly flatly ignores the contribution of the Senate on the sharing of resources to the county. This is not a good sign because the Senate was right as this is its mandate under the constitution. That is its role.
The Transitional Authority must do whatever it can to improve the capacity of the county governments. As more functions are devolved the element of capacity will be key in the implementation process. County governments should be helped.
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