Kalonzo now left holding Azimio baby as Raila and Karua bolt

Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua react to ODM's appointments into Cabinet on July 25, 2024. [Denish Ochieng, Standard]

The turbulent waters of politics have hit again and seemingly swamped the opposition leaving Azimio leaders fighting for political survival.

Although the coalition leaders still insist they are together, the unfolding development has scattered its leadership and left Kalonzo Musyoka, one of its co-principals clutching straws after the Kenya Kwanza government snatched some of the lifeboats.

Thursday, as Kalonzo led Azimio leaders to a press conference in the absence of its major partner ODM, coalition member, Narc Kenya was drafting its exit notice.

But in a separate statement, ODM leader Raila Odinga insisted that neither his party nor Azimio had entered into any coalition agreement with President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza.

On party members joining the government, Raila said: “While we extend our best wishes to the nominees and trust that they will contribute positively to national development, we continue to advocate for a national engagement under the conditions we have previously outlined.”

Moments after the press conference, Martha Karua, Raila’s running mate in the last General Election, issued a notice of withdrawing her party, Narc Kenya, from Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya Coalition, saying its stay was no longer tenable owing to prevailing political developments.

In a letter dated July 25, addressed to Junet Mohamed who is the Azimio secretary general, Asha Bashir, who signed off as Narc Kenya’s acting secretary general, stated  that the “notice is effective from the date of this letter.”

“As Narc Kenya, by way of this letter, we are giving notice to exit the coalition as stipulated in the exit Clause S in the coalition agreement,” the party stated.

In a radio interview earlier, Karua described Azimio as shaky, explaining that since the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) talks, parties had been pulling in different directions.

“The only thing that has saved us is that we actually said at the beginning of this year, let every party go and build itself. So I’ve been busy with Narc Kenya and not with Azimio,” she said.

Karua said the coalition had not taken stock of where it is at the moment and it may not be necessary to.

“From where I sit, I think it is over,” she said.

Karua said leaders are expected to meet on Monday and make an announcement.

And on the incorporation of ODM members in Ruto’s Cabinet, Karua said: “I was not surprised because that’s Ruto’s modus operandi, his way of working.”

In recent weeks, Kalonzo has insisted that he is against working with the government.

Yesterday, Kalonzo said he had not been offered any position in Ruto’s administration and he was not interested in any.

“Nobody has offered any position to me or Wiper. That thing about the Attorney General is a mirage. I may be a senior counsel and that is the attraction but having been the Vice President of Kenya and minister in many portfolios, do you expect me to go and serve Ruto as Attorney General? he posed.

Jubilee Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni said in the absence of Raila, who is seeking the African Union Commission (AUC) chairman seat, Kalonzo leads the coalition.

“We have been led by our leader here (Kalonzo) and we have resolved that he continues leading us even as we allow Raila to continue with the AUC campaigns,” he said.

Kioni said Azimio members who have joined Ruto’s Cabinet have done so in their individual capacity. 

“We want to assure Kenyans that we will continue to advocate for their rights. When the choice is between the people of Kenya versus the Kenya-Kwanza regime, there is only one choice, the people of Kenya,” Kioni said.

On Wednesday, Ruto named his second batch of Cabinet nominees and on the list were top ODM leaders. Some party leaders, including secretary general Edwin Sifuna, have distanced themselves from the President’s decision.

“I commend the leadership of diverse organisations, both in the public and private sectors, including political parties, for their encouraging response to my outreach to consult on forming a broad-based government,” he said.

Kalonzo, who has been an ardent supporter of youth protests, appears to have been left to run the opposition.

“As long as the Kenya Kwanza regime is in place, absolutely nothing will change. A cabinet re-organization and changing of office holders will only be cosmetic,” Kalonzo said last week.

This is not the first time that Kalonzo has found himself in an awkward position while in an alliance with Raila.

During Raila’s January 2018 swearing-in as the “people’s president” at Uhuru Park, Nasa coalition leaders including Kalonzo, Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetang’ula were missing.

There are reports the coalition leaders only saw the mock ceremony on TV although they had been promised that they would be involved.

Two months later, on March 9, 2018, President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila, his bitter rival in the 2017 election, appeared on the steps of Harambee House for the now-famous handshake. 

Kalonzo and other Nasa coalition leaders said they had been in the dark about the development.