Wiper MPs demand respect for Kalonzo, vow to stay in Azimio

Wiper Party Leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Mathare demolition victim Wanjiku Maina speak to the press and residents of Mathare on the effects of demolitions and other inadequacies of the Kenya Kwanza government on June 19, 2024. [Robert Tomno, Standard]

Wiper Members of Parliament have said they are in Azimio to stay and demanded that members of affiliate parties respect Kalonzo Musyoka.

Wiper Secretary General Shakila Abdalla said that what the country is facing at the moment is a governance issue and not a political problem and asked President William Ruto to immediately address the grievances of Gen Z protesters.

"President William Ruto needs to come out and address all the concerns of the protesters who mean well for the country since they have raised genuine concerns that deserve to be handled with urgency to have the country back on the right track," said Abdalla.

This comes even as ODM, a constituent party of Azimio, issued a statement warning members who may want to join the Kenya Kwanza administration against using the party name but do so as individuals.

Makueni Senator Daniel Maanzo said that no Azimio affiliate party has given notice of quitting the coalition and Wiper only wants justice for Kenyans who lost their lives and property during the countrywide protests.

Maanzo noted that more than 10 people have died in Machakos and Makueni counties during the demonstrations and demanded that the President gives a plan of how families of the victims will be compensated.

"The Wiper party is in full support of all the issues raised by the youthful protesters who want good governance in this country, we want the President to address all the concerns they have raised before we can think of engaging the Kenya Kwanza administration," he said.

Matungulu MP Stephen Mule said that Azimio was still intact and it was only a few individuals who were out to saw seeds of discord but they will not succeed in their plans to divide the opposition for their individual gains.

Mule revealed that they had resolved that any member of Azimio who decides to join the Kenya Kwanza administration will be doing so as an individual and they are happy that ODM leader Raila Odinga was supporting the resolution.

ODM through Secretary General Edwin Sifuna was categorical that the party was in support of an all-inclusive national conversation as indicated by Raila on July 9, following the Presidential assent to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Amendment Bill, 2024 at KICC, Nairobi.

Sifuna said a narrative has been created that ODM is desperate to join the government yet what they were only seeking is a national conversation preceded by the creation of the necessary environment through the implementation of the conditions set.

He regretted that some of the party members have also fallen for the lies and misinterpreted ODM's stance as a license to engage the Kenya Kwanza leadership and canvass for ministerial and other positions in the Ruto government.

"As a major political player, ODM has repeatedly emphasized that we cannot be mere bystanders when the current situation and future of our nation are at stake,our commitment to this cause is steadfast, as we recognise the urgent need for transformative change in our nation," said Sifuna.

He maintained that the party has not changed its position on support of the ongoing struggle to address the longstanding governance issues as pointed out by Generation Z.