ANC Secretary General Barack Muluka has given key details about the events which transpired before Raila Odinga’s swearing-in ceremony that consequently kept his co-principals from attending the event.
The three principals were widely expected to be present at the ceremony on January 30 but missed it citing reasons that were beyond their comprehension or control.
Speaking on Jeff Koinange Live on Citizen TV, Muluka stated that the principals were meant to meet before the event but to their, surprise Raila failed to show up and instead appeared alone for the main ceremony.
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According to Muluka, Raila had asked his counterparts to switch off their phones the morning of the event and assured that he would contact them via a private number from Nigeria to explain the itinerary of their agreed upon meeting.
The principals, however, did not follow this directive and instead kept their phones on and met up at one of their homes. They then contacted Raila from their home to follow up on their plan.
“Raila said ‘I’m marooned’ and he was asked, ‘Who has marooned you?’ And he said, ‘these people’.”
“He was asked, marooned by police or the military? he quickly said ‘No. I will call you and tell you how we can meet’, then he left for Uhuru Park,” Mr Muluka revealed.
He noted that there was a very high chance as understood by the principals that there would not be a swearing-in ceremony that day.
Mr Muluka then accused the NASA leader of calling members of the other coalition cowards noting: “We have never been cowards. I can come here and look at that camera and say we are not cowards.”
Video courtesy of Citizen TV Kenya.
‘ . . . He told these three gentlemen to switch off their phones, and that he would reach them using a foreign number from Nigeria. . . ‘
Barrack Muluka gives an account of events leading up to Raila Odinga’s ‘swearing-in’ on #JKLive pic.twitter.com/oIJFjZkl9U— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) March 7, 2018
Ford Kenya’s deputy party leader, Boni Khalwale had also criticized Mr Odinga earlier for taking part in the oath ceremony which he termed a non-issue.
Given the previously agreed on arrangement amongst the principals that a different party would produce the presidential candidate for 2022, Muluka stated that Musalia Mudavadi would not only run for Presidency in 2022 but that he was the President in waiting.
