Former Machakos Senator Johnson Muthama has declared interest to support Deputy President William Ruto’s 2022 Presidential ambitions.
In an interview with a local vernacular station, Musyi FM, Muthama stated that he would steer coalition talks between the DP and Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka.
Muthama, who campaigned for Raila Odinga in the 2013 and 2017 elections, said the chapter with the National Super Alliance (NASA) leader is closed and that there was no chance of the Kamba community supporting him if he ran against Ruto.
He, however, pointed out that other NASA principals, Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetangula still have a chance at the negotiation table.
“I will soon convene a meeting of all elected leaders including MPs and MCAs as well as opinion leaders so that we dialogue over this matter. Our (Kamba’s) political chapter with ODM leader Raila Odinga is closed. We will negotiate with Ruto, Musalia Musalia and Wetangula,” said Muthama.
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The Kamba community, he said, is keen on getting in government come 2022.
“Now that Uhuru is retiring, the next President will be either Ruto or Raila Odinga. And as a community, we should do a careful calculation to ensure we do not get lost,” he added.
He noted that though some leaders from the community including MPs Victor Munyaka (Machoks Town) and Vincent Muysoka (Mwala) still hold the view that Musyoka should run for the top seat, there was room for negotiation in favour of Ruto.
“Both Munyaka and Musyoka have told me that they have not floated the idea of Kalonzo taking the highest office in the proposed negotiations, although they categorically stated they preferred Kalonzo for the top seat. Soon and very soon, I will call leaders to form a committee to face Ruto in negotiations,” said Muthama.
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He added, “If President Uhuru Kenyatta has not asked MPs to impeach Ruto over widespread allegations of corruption, why should the Kamba community be swayed by corruption tags on the DP by his political haters?”
Muthama is credited for the 2007 memorandum of understanding (MoU) between President Mwai Kibaki and Kalonzo that helped the Wiper party boss ascend to power as Vice-president.
The Wednesday declaration comes as a shocker to many as Muthama is on record criticizing Ruto saying he should go home with President Uhuru Kenyatta.
“I have met my lawyers and instructed them to move to the constitutional court to seek a declaration that once a sitting president completes his second term in office, his deputy should also retire automatically,” Muthama said on May 24, 2019, at a funeral in Matungulu.
Read Also: Orengo, Muthama, Musalia Bringing Raila Down So As To Take Over From Him – Moses Kuria
He went on, “If the deputy president succeeds the president, there will be no change in the country’s leadership because the DP will definitely pursue the leadership style of the outgoing head of state.”
The new developments come amid rumours that the DP is in talks with Kalonzo over a possible 2022 coalition.
The two were yesterday captured sharing pleasantries during the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States leadership forum in Nairobi.
The photos went viral with political pundits claiming that there is a high probability that they will form a formidable coalition to send Raila home in 2022 following the political death of the NASA coalition.
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