Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has narrated how the late business mogul and industrialist Chris Kirubi played a major role in ensuring he was appointed the tenth Vice-President of Kenya.
Speaking in Nairobi on Friday, June 18, the then ODM-Kenya presidential candidate said Kirubi paid him a visit in January 2008 during the post-election violence that erupted after the controversial Kibaki’s presidential win and pleaded with Kalonzo to give Kibaki his votes saying it will guarantee him a Vice-president slot.
Unlike now where the President is restrained from firing his Deputy, the Constitution then gave the President powers to appoint and fire Vice-President.
“I personally recall he (Chris) came to my house; this was in January 2008 in the company of two other great men. These were Peter Munga and James Mwangi of Equity. The mission was simple…It was to tell me to act in a manner that could save our country. And that is how I became the tenth Vice President of the Republic of Kenya,” Kalonzo said in his tribute speech to the fallen businessman.
Kalonzo who recently said he will be stupid if he supports a Raila presidency again had contested against Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga where he garnered 879,903 votes against 4,584,721 and 4,352,993 votes for Kibaki and Raila respectively.
The then Electoral Commission of Kenya led by Samuel Kivuitu had announced Party of National Unity candidate Mwai Kibaki as the president elect, a declaration that led to violence where hundreds of innocent Kenyans lost their lives leaving thousands displaced.
Kalonzo said it is at this juncture that Chris paid him a visit in his house and pleaded with Kalonzo to add Kibaki his 879,903 on top of 4,584,721 votes Kibaki had, a move that is suspected to have been one of the major factors that led to the end of the violence.
This saw the former vice president nicknamed ‘Water Melon’ since he had ditched Raila prior to the 2007 General Election and formed his political vehicle the ODM-Kenya.
Kirubi who succumbed on Monday, June 14, after a long battle with Cancer is suspected to have been among ‘power brokers’.
Former Nairobi deputy governor Polycarp Igathe further revealed that its Kirubi who designed the short-lived Igathe-Sonko ticket and was the one who ensured that Nairobi County was returned to the National Government when politics foiled business in the country’s capital.
Kirubi will be laid to rest on Saturday, June 19, at his Bendor Farm in Thika.
