Kenya
Kenya's ruling party splits over Kenyatta Jr candidacy

afrol News, 14 October - As Uhuru Kenyatta, son of Kenya's founding father Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, was appointed to succeed President Daniel arap Moi as the ruling KANU party's presidential candidate, latent conflicts exploded. Three Cabinet Ministers and an Assistant Minister resigned yesterday, three more Ministers today, to join the strengthened opposition or to form a new party.

President Moi had assured that the ruling Kenya African National Union (KANU) maintained in power since independence in 1963 - not always be the cleanest methods. Mr Moi has himself ruled Kenya for 24 years. The announcement of who would be KANU's next presidential candidate now that Mr Moi was to step down therefore was met with great expectations. Logically, he or she would become Kenya's next President.

Uhuru Kenyatta - a businessman with very limited political experience - was not the favourite to succeed President Moi. Being an heir of Kenya's very popular founding father however might prove a mighty resource in the electorate. Not being connected with Kenyan politics - mostly perceived as a corrupt business among Kenyans - might prove a further resource. He has already been received as a "Mr Clean" by the Kenyan public.

The 42-years-old has studied political science in Britain and thereafter has spent most of his adult life managing the family business after his father. He only entered into the political elite in 1999, when President Moi appointed Uhuru Kenyatta the chairman of the Kenya Tourism Board. Last year, Mr Kenyatta was nominated to parliament and earlier this year, he was made one of KANU's four Vice Chairmen.

For career politicians within KANU - which have been in a power struggle ever since President Moi announced he would step down earlier this year - the candidacy of Kenyatta Jr however seems to have been a slap in the face. Many had hoped to succeed "The Old Man" or becoming the favourites of those succeeding him. The main critique against Mr Kenyatta has been that he will become a puppet of the retired Mr Moi, thus unable to reform the stagnant Kenyan economy and check the growing corruption.

Kenya's Minister of Energy, Raila Odinga, yesterday headed the group of high ranking officials stepping down. In a statement, Mr Odinga said he and the other Ministers were resigning their posts because they had "lost confidence" in KANU and its leadership over the nomination of Mr Kenyatta. 

The choice had been made by President Moi and not the party, they held. Kenyatta Jr is to be elected candidate by the party tomorrow, but the President had already secured the necessary support for him. The dissident Ministers state the KANU nomination exercise will "not be free and fair" and therefore chose to break out of the party before the formal election of Mr Kenyatta.

Mr Odinga further used the opportunity to explain his opposition to the state of the art in Kenya's' government. "There is too much centralisation of power," he stated at a Nairobi press conference. "There was no possibility of compromise with Moi's autocratic rule." The ex-Minister indicated he would be striving for a cabinet post after the upcoming elections, urging voters to "remove this regime". 

Today, three more Ministers - including Tourism Minister Kalonzo Musyoka - resigned his post and left KANU. Leaving his office, Mr Musyoka said he now announced "the collapse of KANU" and the beginning of the end of this party's grip on government. 

None of the defected Ministers have said whether they are to form a new party or to join the strengthened opposition. They have however all organised around the so-called Rainbow Alliance of dissident KANU members, ex-Minister Odinga being the leading figure of the group. Last month, Mr Odinga said that, if things turned out "to be bad, the Rainbow Alliance will be a party."

Meanwhile, the Kenyan opposition is joining forces to enjoy the improved possibilities to break the decades of KANU governance. The main opposition parties announced they would promote one single candidate to the elections, which are planned for December. It still remains to be decided who is to run for the united opposition, however. In earlier elections, a split opposition and KANU manipulation had prevented a change of power.

The Kenyan press is already speculating in a so-called "Super Alliance" between Mr Odinga's Rainbow Alliance and the alliance of opposition parties. An analysis in the Nairobi-based 'East African Standard' gives the opposition to Mr Moi and Mr Kenyatta the best chances of winning the elections, if they only will unite behind one leader.

Sources: Based on KANU, press reports and afrol archives

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