Flip-flopping Kalonzo keeps cards close to his chest ahead of polls

Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has left Kenyans in the dark over his next political move having in the past year made remarks that he later went against.

Mr Musyoka is on record saying that he would be the most stupid person to support Raila Odinga for president for the third time but later went against that and declared support for the Azimio la Umoja presidential aspirant in the August 9 General Election.

The Wiper leader went ahead to not only declare that he will support Mr Odinga for president for the third time but accompanied him to meet the people tours across the country where he vouched for his candidature.

“Having supported my brother Raila for President on two previous occasions, I thought that this time around he was going to return the favour, however, I have decided to support him in good faith since this country is greater than Kalonzo Musyoka,” said Mr Musyoka in March.

The Wiper party leader appealed to his One Kenya Alliance partners to rally behind Mr Odinga so as to ensure that the country does not end up in the hands of corrupt individuals.

One month later Mr Musyoka raised his stakes of being appointed the Azimio presidential running mate and vowed never to attend an interview with six other candidates arguing that having served as Vice President and the running mate he was above that.

Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka, President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga during the launch of the ODM leader's Azimio La Umoja-One Kenya Alliance presidential candidature at Jacaranda Grounds, Nairobi on March 12, 2022. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

“I want to tell all Kenyans that I will not attend the said process. I find the entire thing demeaning to my person and will therefore distance myself from it,” he told The Standard on phone.

To the surprise of many, he later availed himself for the running mate interviews after vowing publicly that he would not be available for such an exercise. Mr Musyoka later said that he appeared before the panel to deny some people ammunition to fight him politically.

“It was my personal decision to attend this Azimio running mate interview so that some people with hidden agenda do not have a reason of having me overlooked in the running mate contest despite my many years of experience in public leadership,” he said.

Leaders who participated in the interviews include the eventual winner Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya, Mombasa Governor Ali Joho, Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya and Muranga Woman MP Sabina Chege.

Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui and former Gatanga MP Peter Kenneth also participated in the interviews.

The leaders supported the choice of Ms Karua as the Azimio presidential running mate but Mr Musyoka opted to instead launch his presidential bid on May 16 after failing to clinch the post.

The Wiper leader said that he was the alternative that Kenyans required as President and admitted that there were consultations between him and President Uhuru Kenyatta on one hand and Mr Odinga over his running mate candidature before Ms Karua was unveiled.

“How many times should Kalonzo be expected to sacrifice his bid, I have done severally before and feel it is now time for others to also sacrifice their bid for me, that is why I have opted to go it alone when I failed to clinch the Azimio running mate position,” he said.

Mr Musyoka left the country for Europe after declaring his bid with nothing much heard from his side except that he is negotiating through emissaries to get back to Azimio but with some conditions that he insists have to be met.

The Wiper leader is reportedly lobbying to be Chief Cabinet Secretary and also take charge of the Foreign Affairs docket while his party should also be allocated the Ministries of Energy and Health among other lofty positions as a condition of going back to Azimio.