Fresh cracks in Azimio as Mutua, Kibwana make new demands

Machakos Governor Dr. Alfred Mutua (left) and his Makueni counterpart Kivutha Kibwana (right). [John Muia, Standard]

Fresh cracks have now emerged in the Azimio La Umoja coalition, opening a new can of worms.

Eight political parties under the Mwanzo Mpya Caucus led by Governors Alfred Mutua (Maendeleo Chap Chap) and Kivutha Kibwana of Muungano Party have made a new set of conditions.  

They are now claiming they were not involved in the signing of the deed of agreement and were almost forced into it.

“We were not involved. We have not been given that document to go through. We are not even allowed to look at it for a long time,” Governor Mutua said in an interview with Radio Maisha yesterday.

The caucus now wants the contents of the Azimio Coalition agreement re-negotiated to include members of Mwanzo Mpya as the fourth leg of the coalition.

They claim that they have identified a myriad of issues in the agreement that they are not party to including having ODM, Jubilee, and Wiper parties as the leadership triangle of the coalition.

“It seems we are being told these three will decide where the rest of us will fit. We are not in agreement with that,” the Machakos county chief noted.

The parties; Maendeleo Chap Chap, Muungano, Narc, DAP-K, Chama cha Uzalendo (CCU), Kenya Reform Party, Maendeleo Democratic Party and PPT claim to have been left out and now want a share of the coalition goodies.

Some of the demands they want met include a stake in the choice of the Azimio running mate, withdrawal of the deposited document, consensus on decision making, and honouring the positions agreed upon during the declaration of the Azimio la Umoja coalition at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) on March 15.

“They signed a document deciding that Azimio is a three-legged stool, while it is actually a four-legged table. It seems it is first among equals and the rest of us. It’s like we are being told to take it or leave it,” Mutua claimed.

They have threatened to ditch the coalition should their demands go unfulfilled. “The agreement was about inclusiveness and if our demands are not met, we will look elsewhere.”

This new development may however bring forth a new political fallout as parties scramble for positions ahead of the August 9 polls.  

The political union between President Uhuru Kenyatta, ODM leader Raila Odinga, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and leaders of over 20 parties was consummated last month with the unveiling of a mega political coalition party.