NASA leaders Mudavadi, Raila and Joho during Joho's swearing-in ceremony onTuesday. [Photo: Hassan Joho/ facebook.com]
The opposition sprint towards the 2022 presidential election is on as prominent politicians from parties constituting NASA realign in preparation to ascend to State House.
On Tuesday ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi welcomed Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho to national politics saying the county chief now fits to play in the “national league”.Joho has been a key player in Coast region politics. He helped campaign for NASA leader Raila Odinga and opposition candidates in the region and helped Raila scoop 238,943 (69.86 percent) against President Uhuru Kenyatta’s 99,508 (29.09 percent).“You have been very prominent and indeed you have gone through a lot of turbulence. You have been a key player in Coast politics. Now you have made a decision and you have announced that you want to cease to be just a player at the Coast and you want to be a permanent feature in national politics. I say well done and welcome to national politics,” Mudavadi said after Joho was sworn-in.“You have been playing a certain position in the Coast league, now you are going to be a permanent feature in the national league. We will work with you to make Kenya a better place.”Mudavadi spoke two days after ANC and Ford Kenya leaders said they were equal to the task of leading the opposition for the 2022 presidential elections.According to an MoU signed between NASA affiliate parties, Raila was expected to serve for one term and hand over the mantle to his deputy Kalonzo Musyoka of Wiper Democratic Movement.NASA comprises ODM, Wiper party, Ford-Kenya, ANC and Chama Cha Mashinani (CCM) parties.Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang’ula last week while speaking at a church service in Bungoma was quoted saying he was also ready to take up the mantle after retirement of the NASA leader.He said he had sacrificed his presidential ambition for Raila’s campaign and said he was best placed to take over. “I let my ambition go in order to support Raila in the concluded elections and with his proclamation of not going for the top seat I will go for it in 2022,” he said.Wetang’ula launched his presidential bid in 2016 at Muliro Gardens in Kakamega but was forced to shelve his ambition and support Raila under the NASA banner. Mudavadi and Wetang’ula expressed optimism that NASA will win the presidential petition filed at the Supreme Court.