NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 14 – Eliud Owalo, a former campaign manager for Raila Odinga who ditched the Orange Party to join Musalia Mudavadi’s Amani National Congress (ANC) in 2019, has now declared his support for Deputy President William Ruto’s 2022 State House ambitions.
His declaration on Monday during a meeting at Ruto’s Karen residence came a month after he quit ANC citing the need to allow Party Leader Musalia Mudavadi the latitude to make critical decisions ahead of the 2022 presidential poll.
Owalo, in his statement sent to newsrooms, said the country needs a decisive, responsive, all-inclusive and participatory leadership anchored on people centric values and social justice.
“My humble submission therefore is that we need a decisive; progressive; responsive; all-inclusive; and participatory leadership anchored on people-centric values; social justice; recognition of human rights guided by the rule of law; and responsiveness to the challenges facing the common mwananchi,” he stated in an emailed statement.
The management consultant who run Odinga’s presidential campaigns in 2013 and 2017 said he was keen to support a government that recognizes human rights, guided by the rule of law and one that responds to the challenge facing common Kenyans.
“Regrettably, a section of the political class appears uninterested in addressing the real challenges afflicting the common citizen; but instead opting for the pre-occupation with amassing wealth and pre-mature agitation of change of the constitution to ensure political preservation and personal aggrandizement,” he said.
“There appears to be a worrying scheme by a few select and privileged families to unilaterally decide the leadership of this country in total disregard to the will of Kenyans,” he added.
While leaving the Raila- led party in August 2019, Owalo cited divergence of political ideology as well as personal reasons.
“My political ideology, convictions and belief no longer has convergence or depict any congruence and common denominator with that of the ODM Party; its value-orientation and practices,” he previously said.
His exit from ANC a month ago followed ANC Secretary General Barrack Muluka’s who also cited the need to allow Mudavadi the latitude to make critical decisions ahead of the 2022 presidential poll.