As the country’s main opposition coalition CORD faces a storm that has put it on the brink of collapsing at a time when unity seems a must and not a choice, an Orange Democratic Movement legislator now claims that one of the CORD co-principals is being used by the ruling Jubilee coalition to break the opposition.
Sirisia Member of Parliament Major John Koyi Waluke of ODM claims that the Bungoma senator Moses Wetangula who is also the party leader of Ford Kenya party is pursuing a deal with the ruling coalition to be in the next government after the August 2017 general elections.
Waluke who spoke to journalists at a Bungoma hotel claimed that the senator is in talks with Jubilee coalition stalwarts to help him become the next speaker of the national assembly or the leader of majority in the national assembly hoping that Jubilee shall form government again after the next general polls.
“We are aware that our senator is working with Jubilee to ensure that he is used to break the CORD coalition as he pursues a promise that he will be made the next speaker of the national assembly or become the leader of majority in the national assembly, I don’t know how many MPs he will bring but that is what he is now working on,” said Waluke.
The legislator dismissed the recent launch by Wetang’ula in his bid to vie for the presidency in the next polls saying that he is just cheating people from Western Kenya and especially the Luhya community so that they can back him and raise his bargaining power with the Jubilee coalition.
“He is not going to vie for that seat of president but he is just cheating our people from Luhya community to rally behind him yet he knows what he is after in his personal interest but not the interest of the community,” added Waluke.
The MP further alleged that Wetangula received Kshs 20 million from the Jubilee coalition to finance part of his preparations for the launch of his presidential bid at the Masinde Muliro Gardens in Kakamega town that turned chaotic and skipped by CORD co-principal Raila Odinga of ODM.
“We would like the senator to tell us why he received Kshs 20 million from Jubilee through governor Kidero of Nairobi to fund his presidential launch yet they are our opponents,” he said.
Waluke wondered why the senator had to seek for facilitation from other quarters yet he was launching a bid that requires a lot of resources and machinery for one to campaign for the presidency.
He further claimed that Wetangula is now desperate and is moving fast to secure a relevant position in the next government and that is why he has moved to start bargaining with jubilee ruling coalition.
“He is being used because he has reached the extreme end and there is nowhere else he can go and that is why he has offered to be used to bring down the opposition,” claimed Waluke.
ODM to go it alone, disowns Ford kenya
At the same time Waluke said that the ODM party is now going solo and shall no longer work with Ford Kenya which he said had benefitted a lot since joining the CORD coalition.
Waluke who spoke in the wake of eminent cracks emerging in the country’s main opposition coalition said that ODM does not need to work with Ford Kenya after realizing that the Orange party is strong enough to go it alone without the support of Ford Kenya and other affiliate parties which he said their leaders do not have much to offer but have instead become liabilities to the ODM leader Raila Odinga.
“We are no longer in CORD because we as a party feel that we are strong enough to marshal support across the country without relying on these other leaders from other parties who have nothing to offer hence are just holding on Raila’s coat as they continue benefitting from the coalition,” added Waluke.
He pointed out the funds that the government set aside for the purpose of funding main political parties which he said Ford Kenya and wiper democratic Movement of Kalonzo Musyoka benefitted from yet it was meant for ODM.
Sharp reaction to Waluke’s statements
Waluke’s statements that seemed alarming in the eyes of CORD supporters especially from Ford Kenya, sparked reactions from other leaders including some from the ODM leadership in the county.
Bungoma county assembly leader of minority Ali Majani Mutoka of Maraka ward differed bitterly with Waluke’s statement saying that the move kills the spirit of unity in the CORD coalition.
Speaking to the www.westfm.co.ke in Bungoma, Majani who is also known as Balala said that all the three main affiliate parties of CORD need to strengthen themselves and support each other in their quest to form a strong coalition ahead of the next general polls instead of discriminating against each other.
“As leaders in the ODM party we should have a clear position as far as our relationship with other CORD affiliate parties are concerned because we all need to have a strong unity within CORD and therefore it is not right for us to start discriminating and disowning other affiliate parties including Ford Kenya and Wiper Democratic Movement,” said Majani.
He pointed out that leaders at the grass roots and other levels should emulate the spirit that has been embraced by the three principals who always speak the same language and are seen giving press statements together without discriminating each other.
The MCA accused Waluke of not demonstrating his full support to the party and claimed that he has been for a long time been pursuing interests that are not in tandem with the ODM party and CORD in general.
Majani who also claims to be the chairman of ODM in Bungoma County, a position also claimed by Waluke, said that CORD’s common enemy is Jubilee and JAP hence by discriminating among themselves in CORD then whoever is doing so is pursuing interests and agenda of other parties or coalitions.
“At the end of the day our common enemy is Jubilee and JAP but if we are talking in terms of trying to isolate others then we are not genuinely in CORD unless we are selling the agenda of other coalitions,” added Majani.
He accused Waluke for working with the ruling Jubilee at the expense of the CORD coalition noting that the political parties act where one is not supposed to advocate policies and agenda of other parties while still a member of a different party.
“You know that political parties are just like religious organizations or churches whereby you cannot be in Catholic yet you want to advocate for Muslims or you are a Muslim and you want to sing in the Mosque, hence Waluke is trading between two coalitions which is against the act,” noted the MCA.
He challenged Waluke to demonstrate his full membership in ODM and stop trading with Jubilee for him to earn his respect as a leader of the party in the county.
Waluke also hit back at Majani claiming that the MCA has become an errand boy of Ford Kenya leader Moses Wetangula and pointed out that Majani was fully involved in the plans and arrangements for Wetangula’s presidential bid in Kakamega yet he is a member of ODM and the function was a Ford Kenya affair.
