A Cord retreat planned for this Saturday appears to have flopped after Cord leaders Kalonzo Musyoa and Moses Wetangula withdrew their attendance.
The Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) affiliate parties that include Raila’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) were to hold a joint NEC retreat from Saturday to Monday. The meeting of top leaders from the parties was planned against the backdrop of recent differences over joint nominations and disagreements over the opposition’s presidential flag bearer in next year’s elections.
However, the joint NEC meeting flopped after Kalonzo Musyoka’s Wiper and Moses Wetang’ula’s Ford Kenya Thursday confirmed they would not attend, citing “other engagements”.
It appears the two parties are keen on sustaining their own political outreach missions across the country and do not want to appear like it is Raila’s ODM, which had a series of festivities to mark its 10th anniversary, that is active.
Thursday, Wiper Secretary General Hassan Omar and Ford Kenya deputy party leader Boni Khalwale explained they had already informed ODM of their decision.
“Wiper is readying itself to be an alternative (governing party). The NEC meeting would have interfered with our plans which we had put in place and we have requested that it is postponed,” said Omar referring to political activities by Kalonzo who is currently at the Coast and is scheduled to hold a rally at Mombasa’s Tononoka grounds on Sunday.
Omar explained that Wiper was moving across the country to popularise its agenda for Kenyans and reiterate its position on several issues, including that the opposition’s presidential candidate should run on a CORD ticket.
Mr Khalwale said Ford Kenya had also communicated earlier that it would not attend the NEC meeting, adding that he was not aware of the meeting’s agenda. “It’s nothing sinister. It is because when our party leader agreed with other principals about the meeting he was not aware that we had other plans,” said Khalwale.
