By Anderson Ojwang
Dr Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka is a man of the moment. The stars seem to be lining and aligning towards him. At the end of the tunnel, there is light.
Kenya’s last Vice President before the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution and “mtu wa kupitia kati kati” finds himself at the heart of the country’s political conversation. Kalonzo mania in the making.
In the united opposition, it is becoming crystal clear day by day that Kalonzo could be the probable presidential flag bearer in the 2027 contest against President William Ruto of Kenya Kwanza.
And within the government ranks, President Ruto’s allies have offered and extended an olive branch to Kalonzo for a political handshake ahead of the August 10th 2027 general elections.
Currently, Kalonzo is turning out as the bride that suitors – the opposition is considering him as the flag bearer while the government is also trying to woo him to the fold.
Muturi
Democratic Party leader JB Muturi said it was time for the united opposition to name the presidential candidate and stop acting under fear.
“We don’t have a presidential candidate because we fear that when we name the person, we don’t know what William Ruto will do to him. What has Ruto not said about Dr Fred Matiang’i? He said he sleeps, and since he came here, I have not seen him sleep. He has said everything about all of us. He even said I am incompetent,” he said.
He said it was time the opposition stopped the notion and mentality that they were playing the card of the opposition candidate close to their chest.
Muturi said the decision by former President the late Daniel Moi to delay naming the Kanu presidential candidate was what contributed to its split.
“You want to say Ruto doesn’t know Kalonzo, Eugene Wamalwa, Matiang’i, Muturi, Rigathi Gachagua, and Martha Karua? What can he do? Why are we being cowards? Let us stop this thing that we are playing some cards close to our chest. This is politics,” he said.
Muturi declared his support for Kalonzo Musyoka to be the opposition presidential candidate.
“I want to say this. In Kamulu, before the Apostle Musili and the entire clergy, if it is not me, I am never worried. We must stop being cowards and tell Kenyans our presidential candidate. If it is not me, then it is Dr Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka as the flag bearer,” he declared.
But he said his declaration was a personal one, and other members of the outfit have personal choices.
“That doesn’t mean others do not have their say. We are not divided, and we must bring to a stop Ruto’s wrong perception of the opposition. Let us speak the truth and what is in our minds,” he said.
Gachagua has been leaning towards Kalonzo and has been traversing Mt Kenya and Lower Eastern together on several political trips.
He recently said Mt Kenya will have to sacrifice the presidential and deputy president seats in the 2027 general elections to ensure President Ruto is not re-elected.
He is currently in Wamunyoro in a political conclave meeting with Mt Kenya residents for 45 days before declaring his next political move.
Before the conclave, he had committed to leading campaigns for the candidate the opposition will settle on in order to make President Ruto a one-term president.
Sudi’s overtures
President Ruto’s confidant, Kapsaret MP Oscar Sudi, while in Ukambani, extended an olive branch to Kalonzo to join the government and be allocated a position.
“Tell Kalonzo he is now an elder. Let him join the government for five years and work for the Kamba community,” he said.
Sudi said for several election cycles, the Kamba community has remained in the opposition, and it was time to join the government and be made president in future.
“Kalonzo has wasted the Kambas’ time for a long time. Let him forget about betting and chancing. Let him come here. Even if we are to make him president, we cannot do that when he is outside,” he said.
Sudi said the opposition cannot beat President Ruto and that the President will win resoundingly.
“If you weigh, do you think there is anybody who can defeat William Ruto in 2027? Do we look like a Wantam people?” he said.
Sudi said Kalonzo would be rewarded with a political position should he join the government.
“Tell Kalonzo to come to the government and he will be given a seat and shares. Let him stop frustrating the Kambas by being in the opposition,” he said.
Sudi said for William Ruto to become president, he stayed behind President Uhuru Kenyatta’s shadows while he strategised behind the scenes.
“Kalonzo is outside the pitch where people are playing the ball. He says that he will jump over the fence and get into the pitch. You must come, practise, be given a number, and be told your position to play,” he said.
Swipe at Gachagua
Sudi took his battle with Gachagua a notch higher, wondering why Kalonzo was associating with the impeached Deputy President.
“Let me ask, can you imagine Kalonzo is walking with that man of quarter term? How can he walk with a ‘mad man’? Can you accept Riggy to lead the nation? That is like auctioning the country. A quarter term. He failed to protect the Deputy President seat,” he said.
Sudi said he played a prominent role in Gachagua’s appointment as Deputy President.
“I was among the people who helped Rigathi Gachagua become Deputy President. Ask him if I am lying, but he is a ‘mad man’. When he was Deputy President, did he even talk of government projects? He is a tribalist,” he said.
From whatever side of the coin, it is a silver lining for Kalonzo Musyoka. The time may be ripe, and the moment is his.
