Nairobi Star (Nairobi)
Francis Mureithi, Wambugu Kanyi, and Geoffrey Mosoku
3 December 2011
WILL it be too little, too late? PNU chairman Prof George Saitoti yesterday announced he will stand for President in 2012. He said he had delayed announcing his presidential bid so he could concentrate on building a strong Party of National Unity.
However PNU is in disarray with many supporters accusing the party of inertia and switching to other upcoming parties. “You asked me last year to announce my presidency but as you know one has to take time when cooking and once the food is ready, then you wash your hands and eat,” Saitoti in Nairobi. “I am therefore today announcing here that I will vie for the seat of the President of Kenya next year,” said the Internal Security minister.
Saitoti said he will participate in the joint PNU alliance and G7 nominations for a single presidential candidate in 2012. But he warned there should be “no cat and mouse games” in the nominations where his main rivals are expected to include Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka and Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta.
The PNU chairman was closing a one-day workshop at Milimani Hotel for PNU delegates drawn from Nairobi. The delegates endorsed former Sports minister Maina Kamanda to be Saitoti’s coordinator in Nairobi. The PNU Alliance Youth leader Billy Arocho had challenged Saitoti to assure the delegates of his candidature.
His request was echoed by Kamanda, former MP Simon Mbugua, activist Stanley Livondo and surprisingly Embakasi MP Ferdinand Waititu who switched his allegiance from Uhuru to Saitoti. “I am today declaring that as a PNU member, Saitoti is my candidate in spite of rumours that I belong to Uhuru’s camp,” Waititu said.
Saitoti said he wants to consolidate support for PNU before entering any alliances. The Kajiado North MP announced that he is planning nationwide rallies. Kamanda warned that the party risks losing popularity in Nairobi if they are not united. But Saitoti faces an uphill struggle to reactivate PNU.
One year away from a likely December 2012 election, voters and activists have accused PNU of inactivity and being a party of “old guards.” Smaller parties such as the Grand National Unity led by Public Works assistant minister Mwangi Kiunjuri, Kenya National Congress led by Planning assistant minister Peter Kenneth and Narc Kenya of Martha Karua have been expanding to fill the vacuum.
So serious are the problems for PNU that President Kibaki last weekend had to campaign for a councillor facing an onslaught from a GNU candidate. Despite two days of campaigning by Kibaki, the PNU candidate only just beat the GNU candidate with 1,486 votes against 1,284 votes – a difference of only 202 votes.
In the neighbouring Mathira constituency, a GNU candidate defeated the PNU councillor. “Some of us for four years now have been putting proposals on how PNU can become active and vibrant not just in Central but countrywide. But those proposals have not been received well by those in leadership. There is a total vacuum and that is why parties like GNU are gaining ground,” said Ndaragwa MP Jeremiah Kioni.
Kibaki is the PNU national leader, Saitoti chairman and Energy minister Kiraitu Murungi is secretary general. Uhuru Kenyatta is chairman of Kanu which is an affiliate of PNU.
Voters are also unhappy that the PNU leadership has been hopping from one alliance to another leaving their followers confused. “The PNU has refused to change and understand the dynamics on the ground. The people of Central Kenya especially the youth are looking for a new platform than can listen to them and take care of their welfare,” said Kiunjuri.
“Parties like the GNU have been having serious activities to popularise themselves on the ground while the PNU has been in slumberland and only seen on television,” said the PNU elected councillor Wachira Maina Keen of Mweiga Ward in Nyeri. “Everyday you hear a new name. The PNU has never had a common agreement. Their unity is very delicate and weak,” said Moses Njau, a mechanic in Nyeri town, yesterday. “The worry is that PNU is not on the ground. It is sending different signals everyday, from PNU, to PNU Alliance, to PDM, to UDF, to Green Alliance. My voters have asked me several times where we stand and I think this is costing us a lot,” said an MP from Central Kenya.
The MP was in Naivasha last week to strategise on how to strengthen the United Democratic Front, a recent project of Uhuru supporters. “But we have now found UDF. I am sure the community will accept this as our final vehicle. But if it fairs badly, you may see members jumping to these little parties which appear to be stable and gaining popularity on the ground,” added the MP. “Our people are joining the other small parties for lack of an alternative, and for lack of clear direction from PNU. We have now decided to focus on UDF. We are hitting the ground hard and we have started recruiting people,” said MP Kioni.
Uhuru’s spokesman, Munyori Buku, said the Finance minister is not to blame for the lacklustre performance of PNU. “Uhuru is chairman of Kanu, which is an affiliate of PNU, and he will decide which vehicle to use for the next year’s elections when the time comes. The nominations for that vehicle will be done in a democratic way,” said Munyori. Uhuru has made it clear that he will stand for President in 2012. The recruitment drive by Kiunjuri and former Mathira MP Nderitu Gachagua has made many PNU bigwigs jittery.
The UDF was re-launched in May at the historic Ruring’u Stadium in Nyeri. The party has been opening up offices in all counties and conducting activities such as harambees for boda boda operators in Narumoru and Othaya. The boda boda operators have learnt about road safety and acquired driving licences. Last weekend in the campaign, Kibaki exhibited a rare flash of anger and accused unnamed individuals of “sneaking into the area at night and spreading politics of falsehoods and bribery.”
AllAfrica – All the Time