Ford-Kenya leader Moses Wetangula is a man under siege. He has officially been removed as Senate minority leader, an opposition lucrative post that comes with a huge pay perk, a staffed office, enhanced security details, a priority in making contributions in the Senate and massive influence in the political arena.
These privileges have sublimated into oblivion for Wetangula.
But what could have led to this unprecedented coup by the amorphous NASA coalition?
The mock swearing in event at Uhuru Park was well choreographed to exclude Wetangula, Kalonzo and Mudavadi; who were unaware that Raila had already started talking to President Uhuru Kenyatta. Their absence was a fulcrum point of painting Wetangula and his other musketeers as political cowards. Why should a Senate minority leader position be held by a coward?
Following the magical handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM Hon. Raila Odinga, it was inevitable that ODM had to take central role as a political party in engaging the Jubilee administration on issues agreed between the two. Such official engagement will take place in the Senate and the National Assembly, thus ODM, as the majority opposition party had to take over the Senate minority leadership.
The 2022 political realignment is shaping up. The NASA deal is currently irrelevant and Wetangula, as a possible candidate for the next presidential election could have used this post to position himself strategically and gain political mileage, as a Ford-Kenya candidate, at the expense of his coalition members. He had to be de-whipped immediately.
Ford-Kenya cannot claim any political clout in Kenya, not even its Western bastion. The party has no numbers in the Senate and did not deserve such a plum position in the Senate.
Wetangula has no option but to accept the fact that you cannot be the Chairman of a cattle dip when you only have one cow.