The One Kenya Alliance (OKA) principals yesterday met with the Mount Kenya Foundation to market their agenda for Presidential bid.
The leaders in the alliance, Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper), Musalia Mudavadi (ANC), Gideon Moi (KANU), and Moses Wetangula (Ford Kenya) said they have what it takes to maintain peace and unity while leading the country to greater prosperity.
They claimed that Mt Kenya tycoons had settled on Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga.
UDP boss Cyrus Jirongo, who is the newest principal in the OKA, told the foundation not to have a preferred presidential candidate.
He noted that there were fears that the tycoons were engaged in a public relations exercise.
“Let us not have a preferred leader, all the Oka chiefs are capable. When you appear to have a preferred candidate, you create a lot of division among them,” he said.
He also cautioned against the foundation using the handshake between Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga as a decision point to pick their suitable candidate.
Further, he told the MKF team not to isolate other candidates but instead allow all of them to sell their policies.
Moi warned against advocating for a “class war” saying OKA is committed to the unity calls by Mt Kenya leaders.
“We are at a point in this country where we must solidify our social fabrics to accelerate shared prosperity while guarding our nation against forces hellbent on pushing us in the path of destruction,” he said.
Kalonzo said that OKA is an all-inclusive nation where no one is left behind.
He indicated that he understands what the people from Mt Kenya want is to be given an opportunity.
“Looking at the mountain, we should be able to say we want to be like them because these are the wealth generators and we are trying to in-build the same sense of responsibility to the young ones,” he said.
Having served under President Mwai Kibaki, Kalonzo noted that he was instrumental in the development and progress that was achieved during the tenure of the country’s third president.
“Please when you are giving credit to Mzee Kibaki, would you spare me just a 20 percent; because you all know how closely I worked with Mzee Kibaki,” he said.
His ANC counterpart Musalia told the Mt Kenya tycoons that the country is yearning for a leader who will craft sound policies that will jumpstart the economy and create jobs after the Covid-19 pandemic.
He challenged the tycoons and Kenyans at large to reflect on the leaders they want to put in power and examine whom among them can be trusted with the country’s leadership.
“We must ask ourselves a few fundamental questions. Can you trust me, or who can you trust? And I repeat, who can you trust with the leadership of this country?” he posed.
“How many of us respect the rule of law? How many of us will make sure that if Munga, has won his election, we shall respect the will of the people? We must ask ourselves, who can you trust with a position of authority. Someone who will not in any way misuse the office to visit hell and trouble on other Kenyans, because they believe there’s a grudge to settle?”
The meeting comes barely a months after Raila held a luncheon meeting with MKF financial influencers to unveil his 2022 presidential plans and the Mt Kenya region people’s stake in next year’s government.