Uhuru-Raila polls line-up as Azimio registered as a party
President Uhuru Kenyatta with Azimio la Umoja presidential candidate Raila Odinga during the coalition's National Delegates Conference at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi on March 12, 2022.
What you need to know:
- The coalition political party has been registered despite protests from Kalonzo Musyoka’s Wiper Party.
- Uhuru keen on playing active political role once his term comes to an end after the August 9 General Election.
Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition has finally been registered, with President Kenyatta listed as the chairman of its council.
The registration, contained in a notice in the Kenya Gazette, indicates that Mr Kenyatta is keen to play a political role once his time as President comes to an end after the August 9 elections.
The notice indicates a dominant role for Mr Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) in a coalition that brings together 26 political parties.
Listed as the party leader, Mr Odinga will have on his side Kakamega governor Wycliffe Oparanya as the chairman of the party while Suna East Member of Parliament Junet Mohamed is the secretary-general.
The coalition political party has been registered despite protestation from Wiper Party, which is led by Mr Kalonzo Musyoka.
Wiper had opposed the decision by Mr Odinga to expand the council from seven members to 12 to accommodate a group led by governors Alfred Mutua (Machakos) and Kivutha Kibwana (Makueni) that was up in arms amid claims of being side-lined in decision-making within the coalition.
Mr Odinga met the disgruntled group that had coalesced under the Mwanzo Mpya Caucus to hammer out a deal, which quickly reignited the feud with Mr Musyoka.
The Mwanzo Mpya team had raised the red flag over a scheme to short-change fringe parties in the coalition.
Dr Mutua further pointed out that eight political parties under the Mwanzo Mpya Caucus were not aware of the plans to form the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition and threatened to walk out if their concerns were not addressed.
“Our plan was to consolidate as many votes as possible for Mr Odinga. As the three Ukambani governors, we thought that, if we added Mr Musyoka [to the Azimio La Umoja Coalition], it would be good for us because victory [in the presidential elections] was more important,” he said.
In a letter that was filed with the Registrar of Political Parties and authored under the One Kenya Alliance (OKA) banner, Mr Musyoka had objected to the registration of the coalition agreement, citing three issues that “have not been agreed upon.”
The group had protested that the original agreement that was lodged on April 1 with the registrar had been withdrawn and certain clauses amended or altered without the consent of all the parties and signatories.”
“Our objection is premised on the fact that three issues have not been agreed upon and are to be deliberated and agreed upon before the agreement is fully registered,” the secretaries-general of the four OKA parties demanded in a statement.
The notice in the Kenya Gazette indicates that none of the issues that OKA raised in the letter were considered as the Coalition Council will have 12 members.
Others listed as council members are Mr Musyoka, Mr Gideon Moi (Kanu), Ms Martha Karua (Narc Kenya), Mr Hassan Joho (ODM), Ms Sabina Chege (Jubilee), Ms Naomi Shaban (Jubilee), Ms Charity Ngilu (Narc), Mr Wafula Wamunyinyi (DAP-K) and Mr Abdi Noor Omar Farah.
Eldas MP Adan Keynan of Jubilee is the first deputy chairperson, with Dr Ken Nyaundi and Jubilee vice-chairman David Murathe named as the second and third deputy chairpersons.
Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua (Wiper) has been named the Treasurer to be deputised by Mr David Pkosing (first deputy), Ms Lucy Nyoroka Mworia (second deputy) and Ms Mishi Mboko is the (third deputy).
Samburu West MP Naisula Leisuuda is the organising secretary to be deputised by Garissa senator Abdul Haji (first deputy) and Igembe North MP Maoka Maore (second deputy).
Narok North MP Moitalel Kenta will be the first deputy secretary-general while Mr Opiyo Wandayi will be the second deputy and Ms Isabelle Wangechi Githinji third deputy. Nyeri Deputy Governor Caroline Karugu will chair the Women’s League, while Mr Solomon Kuria will lead the Youth League and Makueni Woman Rep Rose Museo Mumo will lead the People Living with Disabilities League. It was not clear what the parties that had objected to the registration of the party felt about the notice.
It remains to be seen how they will react considering that the selection of the presidential candidate’s running mate remains a sticking point.
The party’s symbol and colours are five stars against a blue background in the midst of the words Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party. The slogan is Azimio-Inawezakana.
However, yesterday, the Federal Party of Kenya laid claim to the slogan Inawezakana and has filed a protest note to the Registrar with a request that the Azimio team gets another slogan.
“We wish to lodge a formal complaint to the registration of the slogan for the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance,” the party says in a protest letter to the ORPP.
FPK Secretary-General Kennedy Oluoch said the registration of the slogan in favour of Azimio will affect their members during the elections because the word Inawezakana is a key attribute of their party’s identity.
“Apart from the word being a component of our party symbol, it is also our party slogan, which we have used for years,” he says in the letter which was received in the ORPP on April 13.
