This became evident when President Uhuru Kenyatta nominated Joseph Ole Lenku as Cabinet Secretary for Interior and Coordination of National Government and Kazungu Kambi to the Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Services.
The exclusion of Mudavadi from the 18-member cabinet of the Jubilee Government has elicited mixed reactions ranging from anger to despair among his supporters in Western Kenya.
“As a community, we feel completely alienated from this Government and I can assure you this will have political consequences as we strategise over our next move within the next five years,” Vihiga Senator George Khaniri said in a past event.
According to analysts, the snub will ultimately dim Mudavadi’s influence in the populous region especially after signing a post-election deal with the Jubilee Alliance.
However, Mudavadi is putting on a brave face and is said to be working towards rebuilding the United Democratic Front party (UDF) ahead of the 2017 General Election, even as supremacy battles rage on in the region.
Already, a group of politicians led by former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo have been wooing Mr Mudavadi’s supporters into a new political outfit that is meant to root for Luhya unity.
One of his fiercest defenders during the campaigns – Kakamega senator Bonny Khalwale – says the former Deputy Prime Minister was to blame for his political problems.
Dr Khalwale accuses Mr Mudavadi of allowing himself to be used by President Kenyatta on not one but many occasions, as he puts it.
“I have a serious problem with Mr Mudavadi for bending low before President Kenyatta for a post-poll deal that has not borne fruit. He fell for the deal even after he was shortchanged and humiliated in an earlier agreement where Kenyatta was to step down for him as the Jubilee presidential candidate,” says Khalwale.
Quit notice
He adds: “What Mr Mudavadi has been doing is not what the community expects from him.”
But Mr Mudavadi is unfazed by the election loss.
He says he is back to his private business and also guides his troops in Parliament. He says he is still active in politics.
“There is no date of closure in politics. The electorate has not served me with such a quit notice! I am a consummate politician of over 25 years experience and a presidential candidate in 2013. Remember this was my first attempt,” Mr Mudavadi says.
Asked about his recent absence from the limelight, Mr Mudavadi says it is not in his nature to compete for headlines.
He says: “I am taking a deserved rest, attending to personal and family matters neglected for long and evaluating the political scene. I was in Bungoma recently, talking serious issues of implementing the law that gives governors oversight authority over security matters in counties.”
Conscience
“I had a briefing from the European Union elections observer team where we discussed their report,” he says.
He denies claims he performed dismally in the General Election.
“Seriously you call a third place dismal? You would have to put my candidature in the context of and against the leading competition,” says Mr Mudavadi.
He adds: “What did they have that I didn’t? Massive ethnic mobilisation. The media didn’t help either; they confined Kenyans into choosing between two ethnically aligned coalitions.”
He says that he has no political bones to pick.
“I have a national constituency and must guard their convictions which are basically opposed to ethnic-based politics.”
He blames ethnicity as one of the biggest reasons he lost the elections.
“The ethnic mobilisation was beyond my control. Maybe that is what went wrong,” he says.
He denies that he was let down by his trusted allies.
“I have confidence in all those who worked for the campaign. Everyone did the best they could. If there are elements that played truant, I can only leave that to their conscience,” he says.
Mr Mudavadi also denies that he has fallen out with most of his allies from the Western region like Vihiga senator George Khaniri and former Justice minister Eugene Wamalwa.
“If you tell that to the crowds who welcomed us together in Kamukuywa and with Khaniri in Vihiga recently, you will be peddling a rumour. We are a family. Khaniri has invited me to all his homecomings in the five constituencies of Vihiga County, which he represents and I have attended, except one,” he says.
Petty indulgences
He said he has no reason to compete with Mr Khaniri who is said to have declared himself the leader for Vihiga County.
“Khaniri is the senator and therefore leader for Vihiga. I stood for president and him as Senator on UDF. I am the UDF leader on whose ticket he won the Senate seat. He is my senator,” he says.
He adds: “Our constituencies are different. At what level can we compete? I think people are mistaking his legitimate right to spread his influence over the county for competition with me. We must rise above petty indulgences,” Mr Mudavadi says.
He says Amani coalition has not disintegrated.
“The tenets that brought us together for the campaign are still relevant. Amani is a brand. We have extended that informally to pushing our common agenda in Parliament. But we cannot dictate to either party unless we formally sign a post-election agreement,” Mr Mudavadi says.
He says he is not aware that Mr Jirongo is fronting a new movement in Luhya land and has started early campaigns to become the Luhya kingpin.
- The Standard
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