Former Vice President Musalia Mudavadi has opened up about his decision to support President Uhuru Kenyatta's bid in 2002.
The young Uhuru had been endorsed by Daniel Moi, who was retiring after serving as president for a whopping 24 years.
While a number of top KANU operatives had ditched the independence party for the opposition Narc, Mudavadi, who had been appointed Vice President, remained intact.
In his autobiography 'Soaring Above the Storms of Passion', Mudavadi cites family pressure, intimidation and threats as the main reason he supported Uhuru even though he was aware of KANU's loss.
“A cocktail of factors led to this fax paus on my part: from historical ties to Mzee Moi, through family pressures and assorted threats, intimidation and even persuasion,” Mudavadi says without elaborating much about intimidations and threats.
According to him, the family played a big role in making him remain in KANU. His father, Moses Mudavadi, was a close friend of retired President Daniel Moi.
“The ultimate driver for my retreat was the family ties and the traditional amity between my late father and President Moi.”
Mudavadi senior, a long-serving minister in Moi's government was the one who advised the retired president to visit Mzee Jomo Kenyatta in Kapenguria according to Musalia.
"Not long afterwards, my father tipped Moi that Mzee Kenyatta would soon be released from Kapenguria where he had been jailed and later detained. He advised him to visit Kenyatta in prison and try to make friendship with him.”
His decision to support Uhuru in 2002 cost him his Sabatia seat, where he lost to Moses Akaranga, who would later serve as Vihiga Governor.
Uhuru would later also win the presidency, after ten years of waiting. He is set to retire in 2022. Mudavadi ran against Uhuru in 2013, emerging third.