The Wiper Democratic Movement has called a crisis meeting on Tuesday to discuss claims that Machakos Senator Johnson Muthama is working with his Siaya counterpart James Orengo to block Mr Kalonzo Musyoka from the Cord presidential nominations.
Mr Muthama last week stormed out of a public rally when Mr Musyoka criticised him in public.
Mr Musyoka, a diplomatic and typically careful leader in his public utterances said of Mr Muthama: “If I lose the presidential race, it is Muthama who will have his trousers removed, like it happened in Parliament.”
“I am fully aware of what you (Muthama) have been doing behind my back with Orengo to predetermine the outcome of Cord presidential nominations and deny me the ticket. You must convince the Wiper supporters that the ticket you are pushing for can deliver victory for Cord,” he said at Sultan Hamud township on Saturday during a meet-the-people tour by the party.
The party will Tuesday hold a National Executive Committee meeting to discuss the allegations that Mr Muthama was acting as Mr Odinga’s mole within the party.
On Monday, Mr Musyoka admitted urging Mr Muthama not to attack the Makueni governor before the Sultan Hamud Rally. “I had told Mr Muthama not to go that way because he had said he was going to blast Prof Kibwana.
He was not supposed to do that and I was not pleased because we are preaching unity in Ukambani. It was an incident-specific matter and we just differed on Prof Kibwana. There are no issues,” he said. Leaders from both Wiper and ODM who declined to speak on record, pointed fingers at Mr Muthama, whom they accused of being behind the defections of five elected Ukambani leaders to Jubilee because of his “divisive and dictatorial habits”.
They absolved Mr Musyoka of any blame, saying it was Mr Muthama’s brand of politics that pushed Governor Mutua out of the party.
Mr Musyoka, however, defended Mr Muthama, saying the senator was being used as an “excuse” by MPs from Ukambani who defected to Jubilee.
He also denied accusing Mr Muthama of working against him or criticising him in public.
“We did not talk about Muthama dividing Kambas and favouring Mr Odinga as Cord presidential candidate. I am not that careless. I never discussed those issues …. I have no problem with the Machakos senator,” he said. – DAILY NATION.
