On November 21, 2018, Amani National Congress secretary-general Barack Muluka said party leader Musalia Mudavadi was not angling for any continental appointment. His remarks came as the National Super Alliance faced fresh uncertainty over who would front the opposition after a series of new political jobs for key figures.
Muluka made the comments in a KTN interview while responding to questions about ANC’s place in the NASA arrangement. He said the party’s immediate priority was to strengthen its own structure rather than chase external postings.
His remarks followed appointments that had already gone to other NASA principals. Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka was expected to oversee the Juba peace process as head of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission, while ODM leader Raila Odinga had been named African Union High Representative for Infrastructure Development in Africa.
That left Mudavadi and ANC co-principal Moses Wetang’ula without similar offers, a situation that fed speculation about the future of the coalition and the search for a new opposition face. The political mood had also shifted after the March 9 handshake, which prompted supporters to urge Mudavadi and Kalonzo to take a more visible role in checking the government.
But Kalonzo’s own standing in that race was complicated by his remark that he was willing to be President Uhuru Kenyatta’s “errand boy,” a line that angered leaders from Ukambani. Among those who criticized him were Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana, who also serves as Wiper chairman, and former Machakos Senator Johnstone Muthama, both of whom said the Wiper leader had abandoned his presidential ambitions.
Muluka insisted ANC was looking beyond the immediate noise. “What we have before us is the task of consolidating our party,” he said. He added, “ANC’s focus is on 2022 and to see who is ready to play the role of opposition leader.”
Mudavadi has previously said he was not interested in a State job, preferring instead to work with regional leaders such as Wetang’ula and Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa in efforts to consolidate the Luhya bloc.
The comments underscored the widening uncertainty inside the opposition as leaders who once positioned themselves against the government continued to strike new deals and realign ahead of 2022.
