AGEYO’S ANGLE: Secret deal by politicians are none of our business

Now over the last few days, the name Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka has graced newspaper pages and dominated TV and radio newscasts, not to mention the endless hashtags and all manner of online conversations, that continue to this hour. The reason is, of course, the now very public document that the Wiper leader says is a deal he made with ODM leader Raila Odinga in the run-up to the 2017 general election. I am intrigued by this development because it is part of what I see as a very puzzling part of our national politics, where deals are made in secret, but their alleged breach is shouted about on rooftops.

You see, this is not the first time we are hearing about a political deal being allegedly reneged on. In the run-up to the 2002 general election, Raila Odinga endorsed Mwai Kibaki. At the time, Raila was the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, a formation that emerged out of the fallout with the then retiring president Daniel arap Moi. Mwai Kibaki, on the other hand, was leading what was essentially a pre-election coalition, bringing together Kibaki of the Democratic Party (DP), Wamalwa Kijana of Ford-Kenya and Charity Ngilu of The National Party of Kenya (NPK).

On 14th October, 2002, Raila Odinga made that famous ‘Kibaki tosha’ declaration at Uhuru Park, thereby ensuring a resounding victory for the united opposition juggernaut, the National Rainbow Coalition, NARC, ending KANU’s 40-year stranglehold on power. Soon talk emerged that part of the deal between Raila and Kibaki, was that the Constitution would be changed within the first one hundred days of their administration, a position of Prime Minister created, to be occupied by Raila. Needless to say that all this was coming out after the fact. At no point during the NARC campaigns, including when Raila took charge following Kibaki’s near-fatal accident, were we told about this deal. But after it was allegedly breached, it became the subject of high voltage disagreements in government that culminated in that dramatic referendum contest in 2005, and to some degree, the 2007 disputed presidential election.

Such is the mystery around such agreements. They are negotiated secretly, and we are not supposed to know about them - ever, but when they don’t work, then the jilted party, comes to rally our support to defend them. Come on! Are you thinking what I am thinking? Take this Kalonzo deal for instance, and let’s examine some of the articles for a moment. At Article three, the document says: “Principal H (that means Raila) agrees that after three years in the presidency, he shall delegate substantial national duties to principal Q, that is Kalonzo, and largely concentrate on international duties.”

Wait a minute, so if this is true, then we can safely assume that Raila Odinga, if he had been elected, would have quietly relinquished some of his duties to his deputy, and eased himself into endless globe trotting in the name of honouring an agreement that we were never told about? So we would have put Raila Odinga in office, without any idea that he would only be president for three years and then secretly step back for Kalonzo? Did we not have a right as voters to know that there was such a plan? After all, they would have been in office on the strength of our votes, No? But it gets more ridiculous. Listen to what article four says; “Both H and Q, that is Raila and Kalonzo agree that the delegation of substantial national duties to Q, that is Kalonzo, by H that is Raila, after three years shall not be made public.”

What? Why would they want to keep something that important away from us the voters? What were they fearing? That we would refuse to vote for them if we knew their secret plan? Can you imagine voting in somebody but he has committed himself in a secret deal to hand over that job to someone before the expiry of the mandate? I could go on with even more ridiculous articles in that purported agreement, but my point is made.

You see, right now there are all kinds of coalitions in the works. There is Azimio where the outgoing president is playing a key role. Shouldn’t we know what the deal, if any, is between him and the ODM leader? What about Kenya Kwanza? What is the real deal between William Ruto and Musalia Mudavadi? Is Musalia, for instance, supposed to be the running mate or is there a deal that says, the position is reserved for the Mount Kenya region as legislator Rigathi Gachagua declared so boldly on TV the other day? What other dirty tricks are lurking beneath the veneer of these seemingly harmonious coalitions?

You see, some of them will say this is politics and you can’t put all your cards on the table. Fair enough, but for heaven’s sake if you are not willing to involve us when you are making the deal, then please keep us out of it, if when you are jilted. We really couldn’t care less!

That is my angle for the week!