Jubilee to blame for CORD split rumours, ODM says

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has blamed Jubilee for recent media reports pointing at probable fallout in the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD).

Speaking in Kajiado on Monday, ODM chair John Mbadi said that Jubilee had engineered propaganda to show the coalition as one faced with internal wrangles and on the verge of collapse.

“What is being peddled currently is just propaganda crafted by Jubilee to create a rift in CORD,” he said.

“CORD is still intact and each party in the coalition (Wiper, Ford Kenya and ODM) is moving to consolidate its support base in a bid to form a stronger coalition ahead of the next elections.”

There have been reports of a probable breakaway of ODM from CORD with political analysts claiming a Raila Odinga presidential candidature is assured.

“There is no time that ODM has said it will go it alone in the 2017 General Election and what you are hearing is just propaganda from Jubilee,” said Mbadi.

“As ODM we will continue drumming up support for our party and its leader Raila Odinga ahead of the next polls, and all the coalition partners should do the same.”

Raila is also said to have hinted that ODM would go it alone in the 2017 elections, reports that the ODM party leader has refuted

“CORD-affiliate parties (Wiper, Ford Kenya and ODM) all have their presidential candidates and it is upon each one of them to sell their candidates and their parties so that we can give Kenyans a strong candidate who will be able to defeat Jubilee in 2017.”

ODM has been active in recent weeks holding roadside addresses and public rallies in four counties in the past one month.

The party’s deputy party leader and Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho organised rallies in Mombasa and Kisumu graced by the party leader Raila Odinga, in additional to holding his own rallies in Wajir and Nairobi.

Raila has launched a resurgence to consolidate his support-base by holding a one-week tour of Western Region, Coast and Narok in a span of four weeks.

There had been talk that Raila is contemplating dropping his CORD co-principals Kalonzo Musyoka of Wiper and Moses Wetangula of Ford Kenya and pick Governor Joho as his running mate in a new formation that would also bring on board Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi, and Kanu leader Gideon Moi among other leaders.

In a show of defiance, Wiper chairman David Musila on Sunday claimed that they are not scared by reports from the ODM camp, saying they too have other options should the Orange team decide to go it alone in the next elections.

The three CORD principals have however refuted reports of a split saying the coalition is a strong as ever.

Discontent in the coalition has been brewing over the presidential ticket with both Kalonzo and Wetangula urging Raila to drop his bid and support them, having failed to clinch the seat in three attempts.

ODM has however insisted that Raila’s name must be on the ballot saying he has greater chances of unseating President Uhuru Kenyatta.

@benjaminwafula