HOW I WAS CALLED A DEMON BY UHURU KENYATTA

MUSALIA MUDAVADI’S BOOK, SOARING ABOVE THE STORM OF PASSION

I was surprised one morning to learn that i had unexpected visitors. Our domestic detail announced that Uhuru and Ruto were outside. They wanted to see me. I ushered them in at once. We exchanged niceties and talks for a while over a cup of tea and sundries. Presently, they came to the point, breaking the awkwardness of this impromptu meeting at this critical time. In short, they were asking me to join them in this election effort.

They were concerned that the ICC saga could come in the way. They accordingly wished to pull out of the race. They were proposing that i should become the joint presidential candidate, to be fielded against Raila of ODM.We deliberated over the matter for a while, after which i asked them to allow me to invite a few of my close associates to this meeting. I reached Khalwale, Mukhisa Kituyi and Dan Ameyo to come in as my witnesses in this new development and dialogue.

After they joined us, a quick one page memo of understanding was drawn. We agreed to dialogue further and flesh out a more detailed memorandum. Uhuru asked for a few more days, for him to fully bring in his people on this new development. It was agreed to give him two or so days. Meanwhile, we would all get busy behind the scenes laying out a formidable campaign plans. While we agreed we would make a formal announcement after Uhuru had finished with his people, the message nonetheless travelled ahead of us.

In no time, the word was everywhere – including in the mainstream media – that Uhuru and Ruto had pulled out of the race in my favour. For our part as UDF, we tried to play things down as much as possible waiting for the right moment. The moment never came. It would never come. For, we were shocked to see after two days, a footage in the media showing Uhuru on TV recanting. It was a fairly intemperate Uhuru who announced at a rally in his backyard that some demons had misled him to try and step down.

He was however very much in the race. The demons were cautioned not to try to reap where they had not sown, or to gather where they had not scattered. We understood that we were the demons. I have wondered oftentimes how we became demons when we never invited anybody on our space to ask them to step down for us. You learn new things in politics everyday.