One Kenya Alliance has declared it will field a presidential candidate next year, ending speculation the formation was considering rallying behind ODM leader Raila Odinga.
The Oka team - Principals' Summit and Joint Parliamentary Group - assembled at the Great Rift Valley Lodge in Naivasha for a two-day retreat. They deliberated on reports submitted by the technical team before issuing the “Great Rift Valley Declaration".
The meeting came barely a week after President Uhuru Kenyatta told Oka principals Musalia Mudavadi (ANC), Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper), Moses Wetang'ula (Ford Kenya) and Gideon Moi (Kanu) to rally behind Raila to take on DP William Ruto.
Uhuru is said to be planning to convene another meeting with Oka and the former Prime Minister after failing to broker a unity deal last Tuesday.
Oka principals went to Mombasa with a list of demands to Uhuru in negotiating a deal with Raila.
The former Nasa principals, save for Moi, unsuccessfully ran against Uhuru in 2017. They recently abandoned the coalition, citing mistrust. Mudavadi and Kalonzo are said to have vowed “it is either one of them and not Raila this time round".
Reading the declaration on Tuesday, Kitutu Chache South MP Richard Onyonka said the meeting registered a sense of satisfaction with the progress made as One Kenya Alliance.
“We reaffirm that our commitment to building a just, inclusive and prosperous nation under the auspices of Oka is solidly on course,” he said.
All this time, Raila was some 70 kilometres away in Nakuru, unveiling his 2022 blueprint.
Reports had indicated that the Oka meeting was to announce how the formation would pick its presidential candidate.
An MP at the meeting told the Star the gathering did not deliberate on how to pick the flagbearer.
“The principals will consult among themselves first with the view of reaching a consensus,” he said.
The Oka team further told off ODM over its recent attacks on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.
“We support the independence of the electoral commission, and we cannot afford to destabilise the IEBC a year to the election. As the body mandated to oversee the elections, Kenyans are looking forward to a commission that will deliver a free, fair, credible and verifiable elections,” Onyonka said.
Some ODM politicians, led by party chairman and Minority Leader in the National Assembly John Mbadi, want IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati to exit before the next general election.
Onyoka added, “As we approach the 2022 general election, we do so with full understanding of the volatility of our political landscape as a country. Many a time, we have teetered on the path of electoral violence instigated by leaders who've made it their personal endeavours to incite people against each other for political expediency. We urge Kenyans to shun such leaders and jealously guard our country against brinkmanship and constant threats of senseless violence.”
The Kitutu Chache South MP further said the meeting in Naivasha culminated in an agreement to roll out an array of joint public engagement activities.
“We will not only share our primary agenda of hope on the bedrock of an economic liberation but also demonstrate that in Oka, Kenyans have a unique opportunity to bestow their sovereign power on a responsible and trustworthy leadership,” he added.
The alliance promised to accept and respect the verdict of the Court of Appeal on the Constitution Amendment Bill (2020) on Friday.
“Irrespective of the outcome, we wish to restate that our resolve to be the leadership is committed to seeing a one united Kenya,” Onyonka said.
He said Oka's vision and mission is to resuscitate Kenya's economy, which calls for practical solutions to the financial challenges facing the people.
“Empty narratives and sloganeering on economic models are not the antidote to our challenges,” Onyonka said.
He said the country needs to intensify the war on graft to salvage public resources diverted for personal gain and channel them to economic activities.
Oka called on Uhuru to unleash the law and "rid the nation of people with a strong affinity for plunder.”
The alliance promised to strengthen institutions mandated to fight graft through adequate funding and protection against interference.
“We must revert to the most fundamental governance principle that must underpin all our economic and social policies: public participation. No one knows better how to lift a majority of our population out of poverty more than Kenyans themselves,” Onyonka said.
Edited by A.N