A section of the leaders at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) during the joint Azimio NDC on March 12, 2022. [Azimio La Umoja/Facebook]
Party leaders from 15 political outfits have converged at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) where each party is expected to sign a declaration committing to the Azimio la Umoja coalition led by President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga.
In today's event, the six parties that signed the corporation agreement with Jubilee will also again sign individually the declaration committing to Azimio la Umoja paving way for a grand coalition ahead of the August 9 general election.
Today's signing will be different from the Coalition Agreement that the parties have already signed.
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Two weeks ago six parties including Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya's Party of National Unity (PNU), United Progressive Alliance (UPA), Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi's Pamoja African Alliance (PAA), Kenya Union Party (KUP) associated with West Pokot Governor Prof John Lonyangapuo and United Party of Independent Alliance (UPIA) signed a deal with Jubilee party.
The political pact was to have the parties work under President Kenyatta's recently relaunched party and allowed it to be the anchor party in Azimio.
The arrangement is that both Jubilee and ODM will be the two anchor parties in Azimio and the smaller parties would join Azimio either through the two parties.
The flag bearer is set to be ODM's Raila Odinga but in the arrangement, the Chairman and Secretary Generals of the respective Parties will form a plenary to iron out finer modalities of the coalition. NARC Party leader Charity Ngilu (left) and Devolution Empowerment Party leader Kiraitu Murungi arrive at the KICC for the Azimio NDC on March 12, 2022. [Wilberforce Okwiri]
The position of the Deputy President (running mate) has not been discussed.
Leaders from PNU, KANU, Devolution Empowerment Party (DEP), United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Maendeleo Chap Chap, Democratic Action Party - Kenya (DAP-K), Muungano Party Kenya Union Party (KUP) and United Party of Independent Alliance (UPIA) begun arriving at the KICC at 8 am with the signing is expected to take place before 2pm.
Others parties in the deal are PAA, Wiper, Ubuntu People's Forum, UPF, NARC and Usawa Kwa Wote.
On Friday, One Kenya Alliance (OKA) principals and founders Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper Democratic Party), Gideon Moi (Kanu), Martha Karua (Narc Kenya) and Cyrus Jirongo (UDP), were joined by two other party leaders; Irungu Nyakera (Farmers Party) and David Ochieng (MDG) signed their own pact.
Jimmy Kibaki’s New Democrats party is expected to join the alliance next week.
All the parties are expected to Saturday join the Azimio la Umoja as a party of the Grand coalition.
During today's event, Raila is expected to be unveiled as the flag bearer of the coalition and later the team will move to Jacaranda grounds for a mega rally.
