Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi has dismissed claims linking him to a new political party.
In a statement on Sunday, Mudavadi’s office, through the Director of the Press Service Office, expressed concern over the media reports, emphasizing that he remains firmly in the government.
“For the record and avoidance of doubt, Mudavadi is firmly in the Government under the Kenya Kwanza Alliance Administration led by H.E. Dr. William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-In-Chief of the Defence Forces”, said Jacob Ng’etich.
Ng’etich further explained that the Amani National Congress (ANC), which joined President Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA), did so voluntarily, with the decision being endorsed by the party members.
He defended his political record saying that he has always been genuine.
“Throughout his political life, Mudavadi has maintained integrity, honesty, and dignity in his way of doing things and has never had a double face”, the statement adds.
“Mudavadi believes in high ideals of unity and cohesion and the move to merge his ANC party with the President’s UDA party was voluntary and was endorsed by the party members”, the statement said.
It added “His former ANC party officials are among the highest echelons in the ruling party, including the deputy party leader position. They are key decision-makers in the way of running the political outfit”.
Mudavadi assured that he had no intention of joining any other political outfit, reaffirming his commitment to diligently serving the people of Kenya under the current government.
Before joining the government, Mudavadi led the ANC party, which allied with other parties to form the Kenya Kwanza alliance ahead of the 2022 general elections.
After the merger, ANC Party Leader and Lamu Governor Issa Timamy became the Deputy Party Leader of UDA, while ANC Chairperson Kelvin Lunani served as Vice Chairman under Cecil Mbarire.
Emuhaya Member of Parliament Omboko Milemba deputised UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar.
Radarlessness, scepticism, dubiety, bedlam, and hurly-burly have tormented Amani National Congress (ANC) party leader Musalia Mudavadi’s campaign team and presidential secretariat with professionals and managers he had hired unsure on whether ‘his earthquakeness’ will be on the ballot or will opt to be either William Ruto’s running mate or chief minister in his government should the DP former the next government.
Sabatia MP Alfred Agoi’s recent claims that Mudavadi is too broke to finance his own presidential bid hence need to engage Ruto for his survival in the jungle has spellbind the claim. The Lion has been feeding on grass.
Workers Union COTU secretary general Francis Atwoli was first to state Mudavadi was facing serious financial troubles and he had personally used his millions to rebrand Mudavadi politically.
Matters have further been complicated by assertions by some Kenya Kwanza Alliance leaders that they are yet to decide on whom the outfit that brings together Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance, ANC and Moses Wetangula’s Ford-Kenya – presidential candidate will be giving hope the Amani leader stands a chance of being crowned.
During Ruto – Mudavadi USA, Britain tour, the DP was put to task to step down for Mudavadi since most Kenyans in diaspora are not happy with his questionable past. However Ruto allies claim, since he has served deputy for two terms, the best he can is presidency.
Mudavadi arrival has also not been received well by UDA Mt. Kenya team who now want Prof Kithure Kindiki be Ruto running mate after foul mouth Rigathi Gachagua opted out the race to defend his Parliamentary seat. Though his move might be chess play to calm the storm. He is definitely the deputy project for running mate.
Some of Mudavadi’s day dreaming diehard supporters are clinging to the hope that he will be picked as the Kenya Kwanza presidential candidate and in the worst scenario the running mate.
Now there are reports that professionals and managers atMudavadi’s campaign secretariat are more than confused not knowing what their earthquake man’s next step is.
Mudavadi joined Ruto in a 10-day set tour in the US and UK where they met that a number of politicians, scholars and and Kenyans residing in both countries.
Before he launched his presidential campaign at Bomas of tion Kenya, various groups had started drumming up support for Mudavadi’s presidential bid including women leaders who launched a nationwide campaign for his bid stating Mudavadi was the best leader for Kenya.
But the women were left in limbo after Mudavadi launched his presidential bid and days later teamed up with Ruto, with pointers showing be he will neither be the Kenya Kwanza Alliance presidential candidate nor running mate.
But there was some expectation after Mudavadi and Wetangula started drumming up support for their camp that Ruto might step down put for him in case the International Criminal Court indicts him for the second time following the apparently ongoing Lawyer Gicheru’s witness case solely implicating DP Ruto.
Lawyer Paul Gicheru at ICC Chambers
This can arise if lawyer Paul Gicheru is convicted and the judgment used to resurrect Ruto’s case at the ICC.
Mr Gicheru surrendered to the ICC in November 2020 in fulfilment of a warrant of arrest against him issued in 2015. The prosecution alleges that he corruptly influenced witnesses who were to testify against DP Ruto to withdraw, thereby scuttling the case the court had against the DP, accusations Mr Gicheru denies.
So far, five prosecution witnesses have testified known by their pseudonyms as P-0800, P-0341, P-0613, P-0274 and P-0738, the latter having done so in a private session on Thursday.
Among the evidence the witnesses have presented are call recordings and phone messages with people said to have been acting for Mr Gicheru.
For three weeks, Kenyan lawyer Paul Gicheru has been in The Hague as his trial for alleged witness tampering proceeds. The buzz that characterised the earlier cases involving President Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto is all but gone.
Prosecution witnesses who were allegedly being bribed by allies of Deputy President William Ruto regarding the 2007 post-election violence cases at The Hague were instructed to “hide the money under their mattresses”.
Should Gicheru be found guilty of having tamperes with witness for DP Ruto then second chapter will be rekindled for trial of Mr.Ruto.
Before Mudavadi teamed up with Ruto, his earthquakeness Mudavadi had ordered brand new campaign Land Rover vehicles, set up a presidential secretariat and appointed Nairobi senator Johnson Sakaja as his chief campaigner for the presidency.
Senator Johnson Sakaja
He had also hired top avadi consultants to help set up a 24-hour 1 or call centre in a secret and secure location. The call centre was to be used at to conduct a parallel tallying of his 200,000 presidential votes.
In his secret plan, Mudavadi intended to deploy up to 50,000 polling station agents across the country.
Washed version of Mike Sonko Senator Sakaja had even started setting up presidential campaign structuresand recruiting staff.
Those who touted to lead the various dockets included businessman Brown Ondego who was to lead the crucial resource mobilisation docket. The membership in the docket included Mudavadi’s close friends and businessmen.
Even at home, Mudavadi is now under siege with leaders such as Vihiga senator George Khaniri telling him the region will not support Ruto. Already in parts of Kakamega and Vihiga constituencies, no aspirants have indicated interest to vie on UDA and ANC ticket complicating matters.
Besides being ditched by Peter Nabulindo (Matugu), Christopher Aseka (Khwisero), Titus Khamala (Lurambi), Tindi Mwale (Butere), Ayub Savula (Lugari) and Oku Kaunya posed (Teso North), Mudavadi’s co-principal in Kenya Kwanza, Wetangu’la, is also witnessing mass defections from his part mostly in Western Kenya.
Like ANC, Ford-Kenya is witnessing defections to both ODM and Defence cabinet secretary Eugene Wamalwa-led Democratic Action Party of Kenya. The two parties have been receiving tens of defectors from ANC and Ford Kenya from across the four counties of Western Kenya. Dap-K is affiliated to Raila’s Azimio la Umoja movement.
Mudavadi is watching helplessly as the region slips away because he left a vacuum after he was crowned as Western spokesperson major by elders on December 31 2016 at Bukhungu Stadium only to five years later decide to team up with Ruto as a junior partner in Kenya Kwanza Alliance. Atwoli was behind Mudavadi crowning as the community leader.
Mudavadi political tremor has always been and is still below sea level and he found a shadow in Ruto’s UDA. Being that one man’s meat is another man’s poison, Ruto’s poison (ICC case revival) is Mudavadi’s Nyamakima meat and his team might be working to secure him his meat and serve Ruto his poison.
Transport Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Chris Obure, who is facing charges in connection with the scandal, told an anti-corruption court that it is Musalia Mudavadi, who initiated the Anglo Leasing project when he served as Transport minister in President Daniel arap Moi’s Kanu government. Obure was the Finance minister.
According to Obure, Amos Wako, who was the Attorney General, gave the green-light for the project, in his capacity as the chief legal advisor of the government.
Standing in the dock, Obure told the court that Mudavadi wrote to him on May 9, 2002, seeking direct procurement of equipment for upgrading postal services in the country.
The CAS told the court that Mudavadi sought his permission to use direct procurement for the equipment from an American company known as Spacenet to connect more than 900 postal offices in Kenya.
“l first got involved in the procurement in this case on May 9, 2002, when I received a letter from then Transport and Communications minister Musalia Mudavadi requesting that l approve single-sourcing and direct procurement for the contract,” Obure told the court.
According to the Mudavadi’s letter, the Postal Corporation of Kenya (PCK) was still largely dependent on Telkom Kenya, a situation that hindered its growth and profitability, Obure told the court.
As such, the ministry wanted to develop PCK as an autonomous entity and that would require the financial assistance of the government.
“Mudavadi informed me in the letter that it was the government’s intention to develop and upgrade the Postal Corporation of Kenya,” Obure told the court.
Obure, who is charged alongside former Transport Permanent Secretary Sammy Kyungu, said he was authorised by Mudavadi to sign the contract document on behalf of the ministry. Obure and Kyungu face several charges of corruption, abuse of office and breach of trust.
Denying that he abused the powers of his office as Finance minister, Obure said he believed Mudavadi when he told him the government had embarked on a programme to upgrade postal services in the country.
Obure, who was led in his defence by lawyer Chacha Odera, told the trial magistrate that Mudavadi told him that postal services would be improved through data network upgrading.
He said Mudavadi asked him to offer him assistance in achieving the government’s noble goal.
The court heard that the new equipment would enable the delivery of telegram and electronic services including transfer of salaries for teachers and other public servants.
“Mudavadi, through the letter, told me that it would cost more than Sh900 million to upgrade postal services in the country,” said Obure.
“The new technology, once put in place, would ease transfer of payment for teachers and members of TSC and other government entities,” he added.
He said that Mudavadi’s request to have him approve the direct procurement in the single sourced service was necessitated by the fact that the Ministry of Finance was the financier.
“Only the Finance ministry is mandated to negotiate and enter into contracts with foreign firms on behalf of the government and that is why the Transport minister wrote to me,” said Obure.
The CAS informed the court that upon receipt of the letter, he sought technical advice from the Director of Procurement in the ministry. Four days later, with the advice of technocrats, Obure wrote back to Mudavadi asking to be supplied with further documents, including a copy of the draft contract and details of the terms of the project financing. He also sought justification for seeking direct procurement.
“This would help me analyse and understand the extent of the procurement and whether it fell within the parameters allowed for borrowing,” Obure explained.
The court heard that the documents were forwarded to the procurement department for technical advice and action.
Mudavadi also wrote another letter to Obure, detailing justification for direct procurement, the CAS said.
He noted that the project involved transfer of huge data and had internal security considerations given the potential threat of computer hackers. Obure said he also sought legal opinion on the project from Wako, who told him the contract was legally viable.
He said that upon getting the AG’s nod, he signed the contract documents committing the government. Later the government paid $11.7 million (Sh924.3 million) for the supply of VSAT communication network for PCK. Hearing continues.
