How Musalia Mudavadi Convinced CORD Leaders to Accept NASA

New revelations have emerged highlighting the political intrigues that occurred before Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi could convince leaders of the then CORD coalition, Raila Odinga Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetangula to join the National Super Alliance.

A source privy to the formation of alliance and who is close to Mudavadi disclosed to The Standard that Mudavadi had to sacrifice rights for the name NASA before the CORD leaders could team up with him.

The source noted that when Mudavadi was pitching the idea, there was deep mistrust amongst the principals that almost cost the formation of NASA. He cited a scenario where Mudavadi held a meeting with Raila in Laikipia and a few days after Raila was called by Kalonzo and Wetangula to explain the details of their meeting.

“The first formal meeting over the name was between Raila and Mudavadi before they travelled together to Laikipia on December 6, 2016.

The meeting raised anxiety in CORD, forcing Kalonzo and Wetang’ula to convene a meeting. Mudavadi would later that week meet Kalonzo and Wetang’ula together and explain to them the idea behind the coalition,” the source noted.

According to the NASA insider, Kalonzo's Wiper Party was reluctant to endorse the coalition as it suspected that NASA was Raila's idea to dodge the 2013 Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with Kalonzo.

Wetangula is also said to have been so rigid on his stand as he feared that Mudavadi could overtake him in the coalitions' rank. He cited an event in January where the leaders united in Bomas only for Wetangula to dismiss any talks of joining NASA the following day. 

The Opposition leaders apparently agreed to join NASA on condition that Mudavadi surrendered rights for the coalition's namea  so that all the four partners could be on the same footing.

The name was surrendered and the coalition was registered to the Registrar of political parties in February.

"Your application has been considered as required by law and the name The National Super Alliance (NASA) has been approved,” the response from Registrar of political parties read in part.

The approval created a way for the formation of the opposition coalition NASA.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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