Kalonzo: Ngilu frustrated my efforts to join Azimio

The supremacy battles pitting Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and the three Ukambani governors are far from over even after he put aside his presidential ambition and joined the governors in endorsing ODM leader Raila Odinga's presidential bid.

Mr Musyoka, who is widely seen as the Ukambani political kingpin, has now accused Kitui governor Charity Ngilu of frustrating his efforts to reunite with Mr Odinga.

"Our negotiations with Azimio took long because of Governor Ngilu who had accompanied Mr Odinga to the negotiations table. I was accompanied by Kanu chairman Gideon Moi. Ms Ngilu didn't want anything to do with the Azimio-OKA grand coalition. She kept telling Raila not to sign into the deal," Mr Musyoka said yesterday during the ground breaking ceremony of a Chapel at Tseikuru Technical Training Institute in Kitui County.

The former vice president who has been at logger heades with Ms Ngilu and her colleague governors Alfred Mutua (Machakos) and Kivutha Kibwana (Makueni) for long used the church ceremony at his rural home to wage an all out war against Ms Ngilu whom he accused of undermining him.

"In 2017, I campaigned for Ms Ngilu. But going forward, you need to pray for us because we should elect only Wiper politicians," he said.

Mr Musyoka's remarks opened fresh battles and rivalries within the newly launched Azimio La Umoja coalition with the stakes expected to rise in Ukambani region where the three governors who are leaders of various political parties had positioned themselves as the champions of Azimio in the absence of Mr Musyoka.

Now that Mr Musyoka has joined camp,the governors will be expected to fall back into line with the Wiper Party leader leading the Azimio campaigns, something that they may not like.

"I was reading the papers this morning and they were reporting about six hour delay, the truth of the matter is that Raila had refused to sign as he was being prevented from signing by Charity Ngilu. They didn't want Kalonzo to benefit from anything. They didn't want to hear about Azimio-Oka. That is the truth,"said Mr Musyoka.

Mr Musyoka's came hours after Ms Ngilu had openly chastised  Mr Musyoka over his “selfishness and statesmanship.

“Thank you for putting the country first. Thank you for crowning the Ukambani stake in Azimio la Umoja by supporting Mr Odinga." Ms Ngilu said.

As this was happening, Makueni senator Mutula Kilonzo Junior threw a jab at Prof Kibwana accusing him of trying to drive a wedge between him and Mr Musyoka. The governor had questioned the double speak of the Wiper fraternity in light of the deal Mr Musyoka signed with Mr Odinga but the senator read mischief in the move.

"I support the Azimio-OKA pact," Mr Kilonzo Jnr said yesterday in a statement in which he accuses unidentified individuals of being determined to frustrate Ukambani unity bid.

Mr Kilonzo Jnr and his Kitui counterpart Enoch Wambua had earned notoriety for insisting that Mr Musyoka should not work with Mr Odinga.

Whereas Mr Wambua showed up alongside other Wiper lawmakers at the Azimio la Umoja national delegates convention at the KICC on Saturday, Mr Kilonzo Jnr was conspicuously missing.

Three weeks ago, Mr Kilonzo Jnr who is known for shooting from the hip told a morning show in a vernacular radio that Mr Musyoka would have committed political suicide if he chooses to work under Mr Odinga ahead of the August 9 General Election.

Yesterday, the Wiper vice chairman in charge of policy and communication said; “I was not part of the team signing the agreement with Azimio. I will communicate the details once I get the information”.

He was reacting to calls to shed light on the deal that is expected by analysts to significantly level the playing ground for all the parties supporting Mr Odinga’s presidential bid in the region.

Raila Odinga campaign secretariat spokesperson Makau Mutua who is the head of a team of elites behind Mr Odinga’s campaign hopes the three leaders will work harmoniously to boost Mr Odinga’s State House bid and enhance the chances of the community benefiting immensely in case Mr Odinga becomes the fifth president.