Kalonzo's Meltdown in Kalawani

From: Odhiambo Okecth

Kalonzo Musyoka’s meltdown rally in Kalawani market, in his Ukambani backyard was the ultimate of hypocrisy and just simple political backwardness. It was an embarrassment which should not be ignored. Let’s trace the events a little.

A few weeks ago in Mombasa in a joint rally of ODM presidential candidates, Kalonzo Muysoka was furious that a section of the huge crowd heckled him. Muysoka threw a tantrum and threatened not to attend any other joint rally claiming that it could lead to a situation where party supporters could resort to violence.

Kalonzo had to be cajoled and bembereswad to attend another joint rally in Nakuru where they had to go to ridiculous levels like banning signs for individual candidates and even outlawing vernacular songs only allowing gospel music. Wananchi being as creative as they always are, still used a Christian song to shower praises on one of the candidates.

Mercifully, Kalonzo did not ask for outlawing of gospel songs, nor did he throw another tantrum this time around. My fear was that if the ODM leaders or at least some of them are so scared of the public, very soon they are going to issue muzzles like those they use with bull dogs for each person attending their rallies before they give them blind folders, so the public would not know who they were listening to and will stay mum all through the rally.

Over the last weekend from the information now in public domain, William Ruto arranged some informal consultations between Kalonzo, Raila and himself. It is alleged and was reported that during those consultations, Kalonzo was asked if he could step down and be a running mate to Raila. Kalonzo actually claims Raila “begged” him to step down. It is not known yet whether Raila actually went on his knees. My guess is that Kalonzo’s choice of words is very deliberate.

Obviously Kalonzo turned down the offer and that should have been the end of story. There is no information that Kalonzo was humiliated in any way, bullied and intimidated to accept the offer. Actually he seems to have been sitting very pretty, since he was the one being begged. In a civilized political discourse the matter should have ended there and the media can do their gig whichever way they want.

Kalonzo now claims he is mad because the matter was leaked to the media. Well a month or so ago another ODM internal document was leaked to the standard and Kalonzo was never bothered at all. Could that be because in that leakage Kalonzo was the one projected to be the beneficiary of a possible consensus?

For reasons, not comprehensible to me, Kalonzo decided to use the Ruto consultation as a godsend to resurrect his campaign. To the shock of many people including myself, the same Kalonzo who felt mad after being heckled by people in a crowd in Mombasa felt the need to hold a rally with the sole purpose of condemning and vilifying his colleagues.

The rally held in Mbooni, was a slugfest of the most venomous attacks on Raila Odinga and William Ruto. If it is not okay to heckle Kalonzo, how can it be okay for Kalonzo to hold a rally to preach hatred and utter nonsense against his colleagues? How would Kalonzo react if Raila and Ruto held rallies to denounce Kalonzo for imaginary sins?

First of all, Kalonzo’s main beef is that he was asked to step down. What is wrong with that? Why was the same Kalonzo so thrilled with the same Ruto when he allegedly asked Raila to step down for either Kalonzo or Mudavadi? Why is it okay for others to be asked to step down, but when it comes to Kalonzo then it is a sin and Ruto becomes the big devil, or “Raila’s Project” as they called him in the Kalonzo rally? Why was Ruto not labeled a “Kalonzo project” when he suggested others should step down for Kalonzo? This is sickening hypocrisy and Kalonzo should be told ODM supporters will not stand for it.

Secondly Kalonzo and his supporters at the rally, who incidentally were all Kamba M.P’s also alleged that they know of a “plot being hatched by Raila to hold rallies all over the country, culminating in a rally in Nairobi where Raila will be declared Tosha” This is pathetic. Since when did public political rallies become secret plots? Why can’t Kalonzo hold his own rallies all over the country? And then the nonsense about a Tosha rally!

To the best of my knowledge, even if 1 million people gathered in Nairobi to declare so and so Tosha, such a resolution would never be binding to ODM. Why should Kalonzo and his M.P supporters even waste time castigating such useless romours and gossip? It seems obvious that these people were bent on making issues out of none issues and venting their anger on their colleagues whom even if Kalonzo was to win the ODM ticket he will need to work with.

To crown the day of infamy, Kalonzo and his crew went as low as attacking the so called “hammer” symbol. Why should a presidential candidate worry about such nonsense? Wananchi are always going to find their own ways of expressing their support for those they like. Politics is part theatre and drama. If you like wananchi’s support you must also accept their ridicule. It comes with the territory and is part of the game. When grown people, aspiring leaders no less, hold rallies to dwell on such trivialities, we have to worry about their political sanity and IQ.

Kalonzo Muysoka has to grow up if he wants to be the president of our beloved republic. Holding rallies to insult his colleagues is terrible optics. When people like Kilonzo accuse others of engaging in “guerilla politics” without any substance one must wonder what the heck are these people going to do should we actually put them into to power?

My own conclusion is that Kalonzo is looking for a way out. They is no way Kalonzo would still want an ODM ticket when his approach now is to insult and demonize some very key leaders in ODM like Raila Odinga and William Ruto. If Raila is now the “guerilla” of ODM and Ruto is the devil, who is “Raila’s project”, who is Kalonzo going to work with in ODM? Surely Kalonzo is going to need way more than his Kamba colleagues whom he recruited in the slugfest to be a serious candidate.

My guess is that Kalonzo will try to break up ODM working with his hirelings like Maanzo playing hide and seek with the ODM certificate and leave ODM to work with Uhuru in Kanu and may be seek to be part of the new team trying to revive Narc or form another coalition if Ngilu refuses to give in to their demands.

The latest attempt to drag Mudavadi into the anti-Raila/Ruto camp will not work. Kalonzo must have realized his antics at the Kalawani rally were disastrous to his political ambitions in ODM and they are trying to get back some respectability by calling a press conference with Mudavadi because the optics of M.P’s from one community holding an attack rally in their home ground looked terrible and someone must have told Kalonzo it was a big blunder.

It is always worrisome when leaders get sacred about rallies. Never fear the people if you want their votes, that is my political mantra. Mudavadi should concentrate in building his support. I thought he was doing fairly well. Let those who can organize and attend rallies do so. Those who want to do door to door campaign should also go ahead.

ODM leaders need to get away from holding press conferences and rallies to insult and talk at each other. Raila was in Rift Valley and in Kisii talking about what an ODM government and his leadership would do for the communities. He addressed issues of improving agriculture, livestock and other issues of national development.

It would be nice for Kalonzo to hold rallies in Ukambani or elsewhere to tell his followers what he expects the ODM government under his guardianship to achieve for the country rather than having a high octane assault on his colleagues.

In a nutshell, the ODM must take this thing to the delegates to choose a candidate for the party to face Kibaki. Nothing else will work. It makes no sense when ODM leaders say they will try the consensus route when they all go ballistics every time they are approached to step down for the other. It seems everybody loves the consensus route as long as they are the chosen one.

In the meantime ODM members and supporters should expect more fireworks. It is going to get worse before it settles down and get better. We are ready for the run.