Former Lugari Member of Parliament Cyrus Jirongo, a major critic of the Jubilee administration has called upon the opposition bigwigs to form a Super Alliance to enable them emerge victorious against Jubilee in the next year’s 8th August polls.
Speaking during an emotional send off ceremony of the slain controversial businessman Jacob Juma a.k.a JJ, Jirongo said that the CORD coalition should have a clearly drawn structure of power sharing with other like minded parties and communities before dreaming of winning the next general elections.
Jirongo told the opposition bigwigs led by CORD principals Raila Odinga, Moses Wetangula and Kalonzo Musyoka together with Amani National Congress leader Musalia Mudavadi that unity and inclusiveness shall see them win the elections other than undermining some communities or leaders within the coalition.
He pointed out that the Luhya community should be given time to re-organize its house before going into agreements with other parties or coalitions including CORD as to how they will share the power after winning the elections.
He cautioned the Luhya community against rushing into coalitions without any proper agreements only to be put at the back seat as junior partners.
In response to Jirongo, Kalonzo Musyoka of Wiper lauded his proposal saying that was the best idea that he had heard on that day and he would sleep thinking about it.
He insisted that CORD as a coalition is intact and the principals are committed to the unity of the coalition in their quest to seize power from Jubilee.
“I would like to assure you that on our part in CORD meaning I, Raila and Wetangula we are intact in our unity and we cannot leave each other for the sake of our country Kenya,” said the Wiper leader.
He said that he has sacrificed all that it takes to redeem the country and is ready to sacrifice further and urged others to be selfless so that they can achieve their objective of getting rid of the Jubilee government whom he said has an objective to finish the whole country.
Bungoma senator Moses Wetangula on his part said that the CORD leaders and all leaders of good will should put their personal interests aside and fight to reclaim the country which he said has been taken hostage by the Jubilee administration.
He quoted a statement at the requiem mass of the late Jacob Juma in Nairobi whereby the CORD principals led by Raila, Kalonzo and himself swore that if Kenya can be redeemed without any of them being a president so be it.
He added that if at all the country shall remain in the same trend it is taking, then Kenyans shall have to take action like it was witnessed in Egypt when its nationals rose against then president Hosni Mubarak.
When he came to speak, Raila Odinga who seemed to be Jirongo’s target in the CORD coalition did not mention anything about the Super Alliance but instead delved on the coalition’s push for the removal of the IEBC commissioners from office before the next polls are held.
“We cannot go into elections if the IEBC commissioners have not been removed and on Monday we are going back to their offices across the country but we noted that last week Bungoma was quiet but now we want to see fireworks here with no fear of teargas or anything that they are using to intimidate us,” Raila said.
Raila’s sentiments were echoed by Kiminini MP Dr. Chris Wamalwa who said that IEBC commissioners must go home before the next elections to pave way for constitution of a free, fair and independent commissioner that Kenyans can trust to oversee their elections as a referee.
Kakamega senator Dr. Boni Khalwale said that he was committed in revitalizing Ford Kenya under the CORD coalition as he also forges ahead in his aspiration to win the Kakamega gubernatorial seat.
The CORD’s unity and consistency has in the recent past been put to test since the launch of Wetangula’s launch for his presidential bid that turned chaotic after governor Wycliffe Oparanya of Kakamega openly opposed Wetangula’s bid.
The move took the Ford Kenya fraternity and a section of the Luhya community to reconsider their share in the CORD coalition that seems to be cracking since then.
Other leaders present at the funeral included MP’s Florence Mutua of Busia county, area MP Bornface Otsyula, John Koyi Waluke, Ferdinand Wanyonyi, Michael Aringo Onyura, Oburu Odinga and senator Boy Juma Boyof Kwale among others who called for an independent probe into Juma’s death possibly use foreign detective agency such as FBI or Scotland Yard.
The late Juma who was aged 45 years is survived with a widow Miriam Juma who has two children a girl and a boy but with other four children one girl and three boys who were brought by their mothers and uncles to be identified as Juma’s children.