Kalonzo: 23 Azimio parties endorsed me as their leader

Azimio members led by Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka brief the press at Moi International Airport. [Omondi Onyango, Standard]

Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka on Friday said 23 political parties in the Azimio la Umoja Coalition selected him to lead the opposition against President William Ruto's UDA government. 

Kalonzo, who spoke in Mombasa, said Azimio will not afford to have a leadership void as the ODM Leader Raila Odinga quits local politics to campaign for the Africa Union Commission chairmanship. 

"Azimio has 23 political parties, and they have appointed me as their leader. We cannot afford to have political (leadership) void," said Kalonzo. 

He did not, however, reveal the names of the parties and where they met to endorsed him. Under the 2010 constitution, Kenya does not have the position of the leader of the opposition. 

However, there are Minority Leaders in the National Assembly and the Senate who head the MPs and Senators of the party or coalition that becomes second in the general election. 

Speaking at the Moi International Airport, Kalonzo reiterated that he will take over the mantle from Raila. He said he fully backs Raila's bid for the AUC chairperson. 

Kalonzo who was flanked by DAP Kenya leader Eugene Wamalwa and Jubilee Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni said Azimio made a decision to back Raila's AUC bid and promised to support every effort to make him win. 

He said former President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila backed the peace process in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and hoped it would reciprocate by supporting Kenya for the AUC bid. 

"We expect every effort to be made to Raila win. We are united behind our friend Raila Amolo Odinga," said Kalonzo after he landed at the airport. 

He said despite donating its members to join the broad-based government, he expected that ODM would remain in Azimio under his leadership. 

Kalonzo noted that Azimio has Junet Mohamed as its leader of the Minority in the National Assembly, and he has had a cordial consultation, adding that Kilifi Senator Stewart Madzayo represents the coalition as Leader of the Minority in the Senate. 

He said Azimio will stand with the people of Kenya, including the Gen Zs and millennials, and will demand justice for the youth who were killed by police officers in their struggle to ensure good governance and a lower cost of living in the country. 

"We stand with the Gen Zs and millennials. They died and no single police officer has been prosecuted to date. We will continue to insist that the rule of law prevails. We cannot have a country ruled through abductions," he said. 

He added: "We will remain a loyal opposition and stand with Kenyans." 

Wamalwa said Raila, as the Azimio captain, had handed over the baton to Kalonzo, and therefore, the Wiper Leader was their official opposition leader and they stood in as his deputies. 

"Kalonzo has not made himself the de facto leader of the opposition. We have declared him our leader by consensus since our captain left him behind as the second in command. We have supported him. It is a decision we have made by consensus," Wamalwa said. 

Kioni said the broad-based government has no legal backing and they continue to support the Okoa Kenya movement and not the Zakayos. 

He said Azimio allowed Raila to pursue the AUC seat and backed Kalonzo to stand in as Azimio's team leader. 

"We allowed Raila to pursue the AUC chairperson bid but that should not leave a political void in the coalition. Kalonzo is the send-in command and he stepped in," he said. 

The opposition chiefs said they were in Mombasa to attend the Akamba cultural festival today. 

They condoled the family of popular Mombasa industrialist and philanthropist Hasmukh Patel who died on Thursday saying he helped the poor and built public infrastructure in the Coast region.