Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka has stated that the opposition coalition will have to ‘recall’ its leader Raila Odinga from his post in the African Union Commission chairmanship should he win the Addis Ababa-based seat, and should the opposition feel overwhelmed by President William Ruto’s government.
Mr Musyoka said the opposition will continue to keep the Kenya Kwanza regime in check even if its current leader Mr Odinga succeeds in his quest to become the next Chairman of the African Union Commission.
The Wiper leader, however, stated that in case they feel overwhelmed in pointing out the ills in President Ruto’s administration, they will seek Mr Odinga’s help for even a week to ensure the country heads in the right direction.
Speaking on Friday in Migori while winding up his three-day visit to the South Nyanza region, Mr Musyoka said Azimio will remain steadfast in pinpointing the injustices in government.
“We must put the government in check and point out any wrongdoing. Because Raila is going to the AU, it does not mean that we as Kenyans will remain mum when trodden upon. We will ask him to come even for a weekend so that we can help each other with these people,” Mr Musyoka said yesterday in Awendo Town.
He made the remarks despite stressing that he and other opposition leaders were capable of steering the ship in the absence of Mr Odinga.
The Azimio leader himself has also maintained that clinching the AUC position will not deter him from engaging in local issues.
Mr Musyoka lauded the former premier for his decision to contest for the continental post and wished him well.
“We have talked at length with Raila. You know how far we have come with him but I can’t tell you. Once you see me here, just know that Raila himself is here. We have come from far. We want to stop the habit of rigging elections. Had Raila’s vote not been rigged, he would have completed his term by now,” Mr Musyoka said.
He said Mr Odinga still has work to do for the country because it was agreed in the National Dialogue Committee (Nadco) that he must take part in the formation of the next Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) with the head of state.
“That is why we are saying in the formation of the next electoral body, we have agreed in Nadco that the commission must be formed between President Ruto and Mr Odinga,” the former vice president said.
In Migori Town, Democratic Action Party of Kenya leader Mr Eugene Wamalwa said Kenya will make history as the first East African country to produce the AUC chairman.
‘Today we want to tell the people of Migori and Nyanza that many people have been in fear that if Baba goes, things will change. I want to tell you today that do not panic. Let not your hearts be troubled for we know how baba has been wanting to be Kenya’s President,” Mr Wamalwa said.
He continued, “Through Raila Amollo Odinga, the people of Nyanza are going to make history again. You are going to bring the first AUC chairman from East Africa,” Mr Wamalwa added.
Earlier in Kisii, the two leaders faulted the state for its unprecedented move to deny independent print media opportunities to advertise with them by settling on one.
Mr Musyoka termed the move barbaric, saying it is an affront to the Constitution and a plot by the Kenya Kwanza administration to undermine press freedom.
“We have seen a deliberate effort aimed at muzzling free media in this country. They say they want to fix the Nation, Standard and Royal Media. They are threatening them. We are saying as the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition that we are standing with the free media. That you cannot get an advertising space, save for one newspaper and yet we know who the owners are,” Mr Musyoka said in Kisii before he left for Migori county.
The Wiper leader urged the media to remain objective in all its coverage. He said Azimio will always call out President William Ruto whenever his government takes a decision that they think is not right for the country.
They toured Kisii, Nyamira and Migori counties, while accompanied by other legislators and criticised the current regime for the punitive taxes that it had imposed on Kenyans.
Mr Musyoka said ever since President Ruto ascended to power, life has become unbearable for many Kenyans.
He said the government had blatantly refused to pay doctors yet they were collecting more than enough from the punitive taxes including the Affordable Housing levy, which reintroduced the mandatory 1.5 per cent tax.
"The doctors are on strike for close to two weeks now. Instead of the President absorbing them, he uses that money to increase the allocations in his office," Mr Musyoka said.
Mr Wamalwa said there was no way the government would say it has no money to honour the doctors' Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) yet the President is ready to set aside funds to award his buddies who were trounced in the 2022 polls the positions of Chief Administrative Secretaries (CASs).
"You can't continue burdening Kenyans with punitive taxes day and night. You have doubled VAT on basic commodities. They are now targeting tax bread and milk. Now is the time to say enough is enough," Mr Wamalwa said.
Mr Musyoka, who opened his party's offices in Kisii and Nyamira counties, urged his supporters to register as lifetime party members.
"Even the Mount Kenya people have lost trust in them. They have seen that they were used. They put them in power, not knowing who they were. They were wolves in sheep's clothes," the former vice president said.
