[Former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka in a past event. Should he bolt out of the opposition, President Uhuru Kenyatta will sail through. Photo/nation.co.ke]
Political analyst Matt Gathigira has warned that former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka could hand President Uhuru Kenyatta an election win during the August polls if the Wiper Party leader bolts out of Opposition coalition NASA.
In an opinion editorial published with the Star Newspaper on Wednesday, Gathigira noted that NASA risks losing the Ukambani support if Kalonzo goes for the presidency alone, thus granting Jubilee Party an early win in the next general elections.
"His party Wiper Democratic Movement’s ultimatum yesterday to the effect that he be declared NASA’s presidential flagbearer “or NASA is dead” is no idle threat. If Kalonzo takes a walk and mounts a lone ranger presidential campaign, Ukambani will almost certainly follow him to the latest school- leaver with new ID and voter’s cards," he quipped.
"This is a move that would deny NASA at least a million votes and guarantee President UhuruKenyatta a decisive victory on August 8," he added.
NASA is yet to settle on a presidential candidate five months into the polls, with all the four principals - Raila Odinga (ODM), Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper), Musalia Mudavadi (ANC) and Bungoma Senator Moses Wetangula (Ford Kenya) gunning for the Opposition ticket.
The coalition has since formed a technical committee that has been charged with the responsibility of identifying a presidential candidate who will battle it out with President Uhuru Kenyatta who is seeking re-election on a Jubilee Party ticket.