Amani National Congress leader Musalia Mudavadi has assembled a team of technocrats as his political think tank as he aggressively musters a formidable 2022 political machine.
After the disintegration of Nasa, Mudavadi has quietly been rolling out his 2022 presidential plan while building his profile as the only credible opposition voice in the post-handshake era.
The ex-Deputy Prime Minister is also expanding his political networks and is set for an elaborate visit to the US next month as he prepares for a do-or-die political battle.
The Star has established that Mudavadi has tapped into political think tanks, some of which previously worked for President Uhuru Kenyatta and Opposition chief Raila Odinga.
“Musalia was the chairman of the Nasa presidential campaign. He interacted with everyone and knows those who were effective,” a source familiar with the plans told the Star.
The 15-member think tank includes Eliud Owallo, a management consultant whose firm, Eluid and Associates, has been bagging huge consultancy work in and out of government.
In 2013, Owallo worked as Raila’s presidential campaign manager, but the two fell out in the run-up to the 2017 polls after contesting the Kibra parliamentary seat.
Also advising Mudavadi is lawyer Sam Karanja who chaired Jubilee’s Appeals Tribunal.
He was among the drafters of Jubilee Party election laws as well as rules and regulations.
Others are Eric Wafukho, George Musyoka and David Kabeberi.
Wafukho, a leadership and governance consultant, served on the Nasa Policy, Research and Strategy Team in 2017.
Musyoka, on the other hand, was the 2017 Team Uhuru campaign coordinator for Machakos, Makueni and Kitui counties for the Jubilee Party and President Kenyatta’s presidential campaign.
Kabeberi, an accounting and financial expert, was involved in Kibaki and Uhuru's campaigns as a political strategist, especially in fundraising
To manage his communication unit, the ANC Party leader recently hired well-known media personality Jimmi Gathu as his new media liaison boss.
The politburo’s mandate is to develop new political strategies and come up with what some insiders have described as a new “unstoppable” Mudavadi”
He has also set up a presidential campaign secretariat on posh Riverside Drive in Nairobi, away from the ANC offices in Lavington.
Having become MP at only age 28, Mudavadi is a wealthy man and can comfortably finance a good political campaign from his personal resources.
He also has deep connections with Kenya's wealthiest families including ex-President Daniel Moi's family, which backed his election in 2013.
Political analyst Martin Andati says Mudavadi is presidential material.
“However, he must solidify his Luyha bloc. He can only manage to sit at the negotiating table if he puts the Luyha vote under lock and key. He must solidify his backyard so that Raila does not sneak in and claim to be having two blocs,” Andati told the Star.
Some powerful individuals close to State House are said to be fronting Mudavadi as a compromise candidate after President Uhuru Kenyatta retires in 2022.
However, Mudavadi once bitten by such boardroom endorsement is twice shy. Still, he's optimistic.
“From what happened in 2013 when Uhuru and Ruto dumped him at the last minute, MM [Musalia Mudavadi] cannot wait for any endorsement or political favour from anyone,” a source aware of his political strategy said.
In 2012, Uhuru and Ruto signed a deal to support Mudavadi for the presidency but later disowned the deal, with Uhuru saying he was forced to sign the agreement after being blackmailed by “dark forces”.
In an exclusive interview with the Star last month, Mudavadi said he would be on the ballot in 2022 and pledged never to step down for anyone.
“I want you to hear it from the horse’s mouth, I will be running,” a confident MM said.
“I believe I have a lot that I can offer this country. I have the requisite experience and 2022 is clearly my year. I believe in myself, I have the confidence that Kenyans have had an opportunity to look at some of the characters that are planning to contest,” he said.
Mudavadi's think tank members believe his closest rival is Deputy President William Ruto but they have not ruled out the possibility of Opposition chief Raila Odinga contesting.
Raila has remained tight-lipped on his own political game plan and not even his close allies know what he has up his sleeve.
In recent, times, Mudavadi has been marketing himself as the de facto opposition chief.
He is on the record calling on President Kenyatta to disband his entire Cabinet for pushing through “policies that are harmful to the people of Kenya”.
Describing himself as Kenya’s safe pair of hands, the one-time vice president has taken off the gloves and has recently been a hard-hitting critic of the Jubilee administration.
He has single-handedly and consistently criticised the government for the heavy taxation, high cost of living, poverty, unemployment, national debt burden, corruption, wastage and destruction of the sugar industry.
The ANC boss has been fighting to consolidate his populous Western vote bloc.
He, for instance, played a critical role after the death of football legend Joe Kadenge. He donated cash and a chopper to ferry his body from Nairobi.
The ANC leader claims Ruto’s political overtures in Western are inconsequential, saying his so-called allies from the region are only after his fat wallet.
“The frequency of visits does not guarantee you votes,” Mudavad said. “Some people are just interested in the wallets of some of these visitors. There is no serious political partnership being built. It’s a commercial arrangement.”
