Kenyatta had breakfast with Raphael Tuju of the Party of Action (POA), Eugene Wamalwa of New Ford Kenya and a representative of Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka at the Norfolk Hotel/UK
NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 9 – Uhuru Kenyatta widened his support base further on Thursday morning after he brought together three other presidential aspirants to discuss a coalition.
Kenyatta had breakfast with Raphael Tuju of the Party of Action (POA), Eugene Wamalwa of New Ford Kenya and Mohammed Affey who representated Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka at the Norfolk Hotel after which they announced that they had set up a technical committee to come up with modalities of working together.
“Each of the parties present has agreed to assign one person to a technical working team that is going to work on the mechanism of working together. We are living in a different constitutional dispensation; there are a timelines placed on candidates and political parties and we ill work within the timelines,” Tuju said.
“We are determined to have peaceful elections and to forge alliances for the good of this country,” he insisted.
Also present during the meeting were Energy Minister Kiraitu Murungi – party leader of the Alliance Party of Kenya – and nominated MP Musikari Kombo who is a member of Wamalwa’s New Ford-K.
The meeting comes a day after Kenyatta secured the support of the Party of National Unity (PNU), Alliance Party of Kenya (APK) and Grand National Union (GNU).
Kenyatta, whose party, The National Alliance (TNA) has been previously accused of bullying other parties within Central Kenya, reiterated that TNA is always committed to dialogue.
He says that he is ready to work with other candidates and support one who beats him in a transparent nomination process.
“We (TNA) are always open to negotiations with the view of finding an open, transparent and acceptable mechanism to pick a candidate; I am willing to support any candidate who comes through such a process,” he insisted.
The DPM has been holding talks with Justice Minister Eugene Wamalwa of New Ford Kenya on the prospect of them seeking the presidency on a joint ticket.
Meanwhile, Igembe South MP Mithika Linturi and Tharaka Nithi MP Kareke Mbiuki asked parties supporting Kenyatta to wind up and form an umbrella party by the end of August.
The two MPs urged like minded parties to agree on the same party colors, same banners and the same party slogan to avoid confusion during campaigns.
They said candidates interested in the six elective positions should be subjected to nominations to ensure only best candidates are fronted in the main elections.
They warned that if the parties do not come together, they will loose the top position to other parties.
“Swallow your pride, avoid conflict and talkshows and these photo sessions; they will end up nowhere,” Kareke warned.
They are further appealing to member parties to ensure there is harmony right from the presidential candidate to the lowest positions to avoid divisions like it happened to the Party of National Unity in 2007.
“Kenyatta should ensure sanity throughout the party. We should not go the way of 2007 where we had one presidential candidate but disharmony downwards,” Linturi asserted.
According to the two leaders, Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua and Peter Kenneth are the only ones who seem to have strayed from the new plans to bring parties together in support of Kenyatta.
(JUDIE KABERIA also contributed to this report)
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