Then he scaled it down to deputy president, now he wants to reclaim his old constituency of Mwingi North so that he can become Minority Leader in Parliament.
Earlier, I watched in amusement as ODM lawmakers fell over themselves to persuade Mr Raila Odinga to take up a slot in the Senate. This lot argued that Mr Odinga needed to be in the House so that he could effectively lead the Cord charge against Jubilee. But Mr Odinga rejected the overtures. This was a brilliant move that Mr Musyoka should have emulated.
The leaders who were pushing Mr Odinga to take a junior position were not inspired by their love for him. They were fighting for themselves. Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o, Mr James Orengo, Mr Jakoyo Midiwo and Mr Ababu Namwamba among others, may be great politicians, but without Mr Odinga they are like dhows without wind in their sails.
You saw it in 1997 when Prof Nyong’o lost his then Kisumu Rural seat and in 2002 when even running for the presidency could not convince Ugenya residents to elect Mr Orengo. The pair only returned to Parliament when they professed at the altar of Odingaism.
The consequence is you have more than 80 people in Parliament whose strongest credential is allegiance to the former PM. Without him they are exposed for their lack of principles and ideas.
By choosing to keep out of the Senate, Mr Odinga did much more than just save himself the humiliation of competing for visibility and relevance with boys and girls who were in their nappies when he was detained for the first time.
He has created space for a new younger leadership. Those whose sole claim to popularity was hanging onto his coat tails may now have to work harder to merit their space.
Power abhors vacuum and with Mr Odinga adjusting to his new status, the ODM caucus in Parliament must find a new leader even if it is the most unlikely of persons. And this will not be Orengo, Nyong’o, Midiwo or Kajwang’. These elders are the face of the party’s failure to clinch power and they must pay for the defeat at the March 4 ballot.
Listening to senators Johnstone Muthama (Machakos), Mutula Kilonzo (Makueni) and David Musila (Kitui) talk about getting Mr Musyoka to Parliament, I got the impression that they are fattening him for slaughter.
These men are wealthier and more cunning than Mr Musyoka and despite their public show of affectation, they have never hidden their disdain for him.
True, they sucked up to him when they first wanted to join elective politics, but now they have the perfect opportunity to jettison him.
They know how desperate he is for political office, and they have dangled options to keep his hopes alive. By falling for the bait, he has ceded any powers he had over them. First, they are the ones who forced him into a marriage with ODM. Now they are cajoling and intimidating first term MPs to step down for him.
Those are two favours in a row. Mr Musyoka is now politically beholden to Mr Kilonzo, Mr Muthama and Mr Musila.
Sadly for the former VP, even if he changes his mind now, he is toast. The mere fact that he entertained the idea means he is no longer in charge of his political destiny. Read the dismissive comments by Mwingi North MP and you’ll realise there’s a new sheriff in the town called Wiper.
Soon we’ll see Mr Muthama, Mr Kilonzo and Mr Musila fighting for supremacy in the party.
It always puzzles me why intelligent men and women in politics give up all logic in pursuit of power. There are many options out here for Mr Musyoka, if only he looked beyond the Yatta Plateau.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was his peer in 2003. Many international bodies would do with his skills. Why prime himself for ridicule?
Mr Musyoka and Mr Odinga should stay out of elective politics till 2017. There’s a reason why the Constitution barred presidential and deputy presidential candidates from seeking MP positions.
They supported the Constitution and must live by it.
In mature democracies, party leaders give up their aspirations at the first defeat and move on as statesmen.
Mr Galava is Managing Editor, Saturday Nation. (dgalava@ke.nationmedia.com)
