President Uhuru Kenyatta has inched closer to striking a truce between One Kenya Alliance (OKA) principals and their estranged opposition chief who is also ODM leader, Raila Odinga.
Credible sources say that the OKA leaders bringing together Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper), Gideon Moi (KANU), Musalia Mudavadi (ANC), and Moses Wetang’ula (Ford Kenya) did not resist backing Raila Odinga with the latter saying they were waiting for tomorrow’s court ruling on the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).
“The OKA principals appeared to cede ground, but the meeting was not conclusive until the court pronounces itself on BBI tomorrow,” a source who attended the meeting told the Daily Nation.
The OKA principals who are basically former NASA chiefs except Gideon Moi had vowed not to back the former premier again citing the 2017 agreement that required Raila Odinga to back one of them.
With limited positions under the current Constitution, Wetang’ula, Moi, Mudavadi, and Kalonzo are said to have raised concerns on how they will share the positions should they reunite with ODM leader Raila Odinga if BBI flops.
While they wait for the court ruling on BBI, the leaders appeared to cede ground and back Uhuru’s handshake partner only if the court will overturn the May 13, High Court verdict on the bill.
KANU Secretary General Nick Salat said Uhuru’s efforts to unify the opposition had borne some fruits saying that neither Raila Odinga nor the OKA principals cannot ignore one another.
“We are happy that the leaders are seeing sense on the calls for unity and we hope we shall a broader winning outfit,” Salat said.
The leaders will meet again in a weeks’ time to discuss how the positions would be shared once the fate of the BBI has been known.
Their meeting next week will be the third having met first on Tuesday, August 13, and on Wednesday, August 18, with both meetings being held at State Lodge in Mombasa.
