ODM leader Raila Odinga during the anti-IEBC demonstrations last year. Photo: theafricanewspost.info
The National Super Alliance (NASA) is facing serious unity challenges, with just five months to the general election.
Sources within the Wiper party, a NASA affiliate, have indicated that ODM leader Raila Odinga must back Kalonzo Musyoka’s presidential bid as they agreed ahead of the 2013 general election.
NASA, formally launched in February this year, has Raila, Kalonzo, ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi and Ford Kenya leader Moses Wetangula as its principals.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2013 by Raila and Kalonzo indicated that the former prime minister would serve one term then support the former vice president for presidency in 2017.
The Wiper party has now declared that Kalonzo must be named NASA’s presidential candidate or NASA is dead.
“So unless the presidential candidate, the flagbearer, is Kalonzo, I don't see us moving anywhere,” National Assembly minority leader Francis Nyenze told the Star on Tuesday.
This is the first time a close ally to Kalonzo is making such bold statements regarding the secret 2013 MoU.
Nyenze says their main problem is that Raila’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has refused to honour the 2013 pact.
“Yeah, and a member of ODM said that (MoU) was buried with the death of Cord. So now, what Wiper has seen is that the change of name to NASA was for us to not to lay any claim and kill that MoU, which people learnt (about) and there is no way they are going to accept,” Nyenze said in the interview.
Kalonzo seems to be consolidating support and bringing on board top Ukambani politicians in preparations to go solo in the August 8 polls if he is not named the Opposition’s candidate.
Tuesday, he met Charity Ngilu (Narc), Wavinya Ndeti (CCU) and Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana who declared support for his presidential bid.
The party has also been intensifying campaigns across the country, marshalling support for Kalonzo’s bid to occupy State House.
Last week, the former VP dismissed Infotrak opinion poll results that said Raila is the most preferred candidate among NASA supporters.
Kalonzo said some NASA and Jubilee Party leaders were paying the pollster to publish cooked poll results.
ODM leaders on the other side have also accused Wiper of scheming NASA fallout.
They say Kalonzo’s close allies, specifically Nyenze, has been a stumbling block in the talks to name a flag bearer.
“Let people say I am a hardliner. I always consult my boss, I always consult the interests of the party. And that' is our position. I move with facts, I represent a certain party and their request is to let their MoU be honoured. If it (MoU) is trashed, then we have no business (staying in NASA),” Nyenze said.
NASA is expected to name its flag bearer by end of March.