Kalonzo: Uhuru will soon call Azimio meeting

When former President Uhuru Kenyatta, President William Ruto, Azimio la Umoja co-principals Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka shared a light moment in 2013. [File, Standard]

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to convene an Azimio affiliate parties’ meeting to address the crisis that has hit the opposition following the appointment of ODM’s politicians to the Cabinet.

Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka yesterday admitted there were challenges in the opposition coalition but downplayed the situation saying it is part of democracy.

Besides ODM working the President William Ruto, some affiliate parties have announced their intention to leave the coalition.

Kalonzo says the parties will soon hold talks to iron out their differences.

“Uhuru Kenyatta will soon convene a meeting to deliberate on issues openly and comprehensively,” said Kalonzo yesterday, on the sidelines of the Africa Youth Forum 2024, held in Nairobi.

The former President is the chairman of the Azimio Council, the coalition’s highest decision-making organ.

Kalonzo added that they will continue engaging with ODM leader Raila Odinga even as he campaigns for the African Union Commission (AUC) chairmanship.

On Tuesday, Raila said that at the height of the Gen Z revolt, Uhuru asked him to reach out to President Ruto, noting that even as he runs for the AUC position, his priority remains stabilizing his home country for future generations.

“We do not have a handshake with Ruto. I spoke with Ruto and told him that his people are not working as expected of them,” Raila said.

Kalonzo insisted that it not unusual for political parties to have divergent views and the Azimio coalition is not an exception.

“Whenever you talk about coalition parties getting together, it is never easy to manage. Azimio is not exempt from things like these and when they happen, they provide an opportunity for further engagement. You are able to know your partners and what is ailing each of them,” he explained.

And added: “That does not mean Azimio is on its deathbed. Anything is possible and going forward we are not excluding any possibility. We are ready for any challenges.”

Kalonzo said it is important to support the youth in their push for better governance.

He took a swipe at Ruto’s style of managing the government saying that while taxation is necessary for the success of governance, how the money is utilized matters.

“To run a government, you need to have a measure of taxation but it is how you go about it and what you do with those taxes. Gen Z’s have done a thorough research and found that in key institutions many people have been corrupted,” Kalonzo said.

The Wiper leader said questions still linger on modalities that led to incorporating ODM senior members in government without a proper coalition agreement.

He insisted that nothing had changed about the Kenya Kwanza government despite incorporating opposition politicians because they all swore allegiance to the President.

“We must tell Kenyans the truth. When you enter Ruto’s government as a Cabinet Secretary without a proper coalition agreement, you become his Minister. You swear allegiance to him and we all know and live in this country…so the effective Minister for National Treasury is not John Mbadi, it is Ruto,” he said.