President William Ruto may score another win against Raila Odinga as infighting rocks the Azimio Coalition.
The Azimio coalition is facing an imminent fallout led by its deputy presidential candidate Martha Karua on one side and Raila on the other side.
In Karua’s camp is former Defence minister and DAP Kenya party leader Eugene Wamalwa and Jubilee Party Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni.
The rift between the leaders is hinged on the National Dialogue Committee report co-signed by Wiper Democratic Movement party leader Kalonzo Musyoka and National Assembly Majority Leader (UDA) Kimani Ichungwah.
Ruto and Raila have separately endorsed the report and called for its implementation but Karua and her team have rubbished it as a waste of time.
This prompted Azimio Spokesperson Makau Mutua to wade into the saga calling for those opposed to the report to leave the Opposition coalition.
“Azimio isn’t a forced marriage. Please leave if you can’t support the NADCO report which is the product of the party’s agreed democratic processes,” Mutua posted on X on Monday, December 11.
https://x.com/makaumutua/status/1734052816107245841?s=20
This prompted Kioni to respond, thinly opening the infighting going on in the Raila Odinga-led coalition.
“Mwalimu, we are not in Azimio on your invitation!” Kioni said in an X post as he responded to Mutua.
https://x.com/HonKioni/status/1734130960906498473?s=20
With the nature of Kenyan politics, the widening rift in Azimio could be easy fodder for Ruto’s UDA to fern more conflict that could lead to the breakdown of the Azimio Coalition.
With the infighting playing to the public gallery, Ruto in his calculating moves, is likely to ride on the wave and rock the Azimio Party to its knees hence amassing more support.
Going by the comments on Mutua’s post, some Kenyans feel the report does not capture their expectations and that it was merely used as a conduit to create some offices for the opposition leaders.