President Uhuru Kenyatta will today meet MPs from the Luhya community who support the Azimio la Umoja movement in what appears to be a move to counter the new alliance between Deputy President William Ruto and Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi.
MCAs from Western Kenya region will also meet the President at State House today.
Several MPs who support the Azimio la Umoja caucus coalescing around ODM leader Raila Odinga yesterday confirmed receiving an invitation to today’s meeting from the National Assembly Majority Whip and Navakholo MP Emmanuel Wangwe.
Also invited are senior government officials supporting the Handshake among them Defence Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa, Permanent Secretaries and parastatal chiefs loyal to the President.
New alliance The meeting comes a day after Mudavadi and Ford Kenya leader Moses Wetang’ula dumped their allies in the One Kenya Alliance (OKA), Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Baringo Senator Gideon Moi, in favour of Ruto who is seen as Raila’s main challenger.
While the invitation did not indicate the agenda of the meeting which is expected to start at 10am, sources indicated that Mudavadi’s decision to enter into an alliance with Ruto will be top of the agenda.
“After the Sunday events where Mudavadi decided to work with the competition, and which definitely became a matter of concern, we will meet with the Head of State to analyse the events and discuss the way forward,” said an MP privy to the meeting’s planning.
Lugari MP Ayub Savula, who defected from Mudavadi’s ANC and joined Wamalwa’s Democratic Action Party (DAP), and his Budalang’i counterpart Raphael Wanjala confirmed to People Daily that they had received the invitation and plan to attend the meeting.
According to Savula, only Pro-Azimio la Umoja MPs had been invited to the meeting.
“The invitation is to react and consider the union between Musalia and Ruto and also make a political statement as well as draw the 2022 campaign roadmap,” Savula said.
