Azimio: Hits and misses as Kenya’s biggest coalition ever takes shape

A section of leaders who attended Raila Odinga's ODM NDC. Other parties under SAWA coalition likely to demand similar treatment as Raila’s campaign machine grows. [Samson Wire. Standard].

One Kenya Alliance’s (OKA) demand for a coalition-to-coalition agreement has presented a fresh headache for President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga’s Azimio la Umoja Movement.

Although the Azimio house will become bigger and increase its chances of winning the August election once OKA walks in, demand for fresh coalition-to-coalition talks led Uhuru and Raila to postpone the planned unveiling of Azimio for two weeks. OKA principals have proposed the formation of a new political outfit to be known as the Azimio One Kenya Alliance.

Today, OKA leaders were expected to sign their Memorandum of Understanding at the Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka Command Centre in Nairobi. Yesterday, the alliance chalked up one more significant score after Moses Kuria, leader of Chama Cha Kazi announced that he had thrown his lot with OKA. Kuria’s move made it necessary for OKA to postpone its event today. However, this will also give OKA greater bargaining power when it goes to negotiate for a deal with Azimio.

Politicians in Uhuru’s and Raila’s camps are against a coalition-to-coalition agreement and are pushing for the OKA member parties to join Azimio individually.

Among the demands by OKA principals is that should Azimio produce the presidential candidate, OKA would automatically take up the running mate slot. Raila is the presumed flagbearer while his running mate is expected to come from Mt Kenya region.

“OKA had demanded to come in as a coalition and part of their demand was to share slots between the two coalitions as equal partners. This was not agreed on,” said a source familiar with the negotiations.

OKA brings together principals Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper), Gideon Moi (Kanu), Cyrus Jirongo United Democratic Forum Party (UDF), Martha Karua (Narc Kenya) and now Kuria (CCK). In early February, first four principals signed a Deed of Assignment that will allow all the principals to have ownership of the alliance. Today, they take that partnership a notch higher.

Yesterday, Cotu boss Francis Atwoli said the decision to postpone the official unveiling of Azimio was necessitated by demands from parties seeking to join Azimio.

“We still have time and there are other parties that want to come in. There should be no worries because all these parties have already endorsed Raila,” he said. “Every party wants to participate and to own the process. There is nothing wrong with OKA making demands because in politics there are demands and if they can justify them, those demands can be met”.

The newly appointed Jubilee Secretary-General Jeremiah Kioni said the decision to postpone the official launch of the coalition was made to allow for negotiations between Azimio and OKA.

Ndaragwa MP Jeremiah Kioni dueing a past media briefing at Parliament, Nairobi. [David Njaaga, Standard]

Kioni revealed that the talks will be guided by the support base each of the coalition principals enjoy.

“Politics is about numbers,” he said. “We have new people coming on board and we don’t want to lock out anybody. We will provide maximum time for people who want clarification on certain issues to consult more.”However, he said Azimio expects OKA parties to come in individually. “There is idealism and pragmatism,” he said.

Besides OKA, the Democratic Action Party-Kenya (DAP-K) is also expected to join Azimio.

The party’s Secretary-General, Eseli Simuyu, shared Kiono’s sentiments that the demands by OKA were subject to deliberations.

DAP–K has already endorsed Raila as its preferred presidential candidate and have urged their partners not to delay the process of naming the coalition’s flagbearer.

“They (OKA) want to be Azimio One Kenya Alliance; those are their demands which are subject to discussions. We will look at the details and what the law provides before we can decide,” he said.

Wiper vice-chairperson Mutula Kilonzo Jnr said the ongoing talks were at the level of the principals.

He hinted at plans to set up a negotiation team to thrush out issues before entering a deal.

“All deliberations so far have been at top level. I presume that a negotiation team will be set up to iron out the details,” said Mutula.

Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo Jnr.  August 26, 2021. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

Also expected to join Azimio is the SAWA alliance of 17 parties, led by Dr Mukhisa Kituyi. According to Dr Mukhisa, the former UNCTAD boss, the 17 parties are set to sign a coalition deal next week.

SAWA, too, is likely to demand that they be recognised as a coalition rather than as individual parties. This presents both an opportunity and challenge to Azimio as it might find itself with too many members making demands on how to share power should they win in August.

This is complicated by the fact that Jubilee and ODM have positioned themselves as anchor parties in the Azimio and have asked other interested parties to align with either of them before they can be ushered into the movement.

In Sagana, the president extended an olive branch to small parties interested in aligning themselves with Jubilee. Indeed, on Friday, the newly rebranded Jubilee Party signed cooperation agreements with more than ten parties, in a move that saw Jubilee handed the sole privilege of negotiating on their behalf in the Azimio.

The parties included Pamoja African Alliance (PAA) associated with Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi, Kenya Union Party (KUP) of West Pokot Governor John Lonyangapuo, Party of National Unity (PNU), United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and United Party of Independent Alliance (UPIA). Mandera Governor Ali Roba’s United Democratic Movement (UDM) was the first sign up three weeks ago.