The Azimio la Umoja One Kenya alliance has asserted that Raila Odinga remains its leader despite his recent engagements with President William Ruto.
This announcement was made on Thursday, July 25, 2024, by a faction of Azimio leaders, including Kalonzo Musyoka, Jeremiah Kioni, and Eugene Wamalwa, who expressed their discontent with ODM’s involvement with the government.
Addressing the media, the Azimio faction condemned the nomination of ODM members to Ruto’s cabinet, calling it an attempt to weaken the opposition.
“As Azimio, we note that Ruto has nominated the top leadership of one of our constituent parties ODM to his cabinet. With this move, he has attempted to destroy multiparty democracy and seized control of the parliamentary system,” Jeremiah Kioni stated.
Kioni went on to accuse President Ruto of silencing opposition voices and undermining Kenya’s democratic framework.
“Ruto’s continued cannibalization of political parties, as he has done with Jubilee and now with ODM, goes against the letter and spirit of the constitution of Kenya. It also offends the National Dialogue Committee (Nadco) report. We believe that Ruto is an existential threat to our democracy and must be resisted even as we say ‘Ruto must go’,” he added.
Raila Azimio leader
Despite the internal disagreements within the alliance, Kioni reaffirmed that Raila Odinga remains the leader of Azimio.
He emphasized that the coalition supports Raila’s campaign for the African Union Commission (AUC) chairperson position.
“We would like to thank our leader, Right Honorable Raila Amollo Odinga, who has led our coalition successfully since its formation. We know that his quest for the African Union Commission leadership will enter a critical stage next month, and we all wish him luck as he prepares to take on these continental duties,” Kioni said.
Kioni also highlighted the role of Kalonzo Musyoka in guiding the coalition during Raila’s absence.
“As you have witnessed in the recent past, His Excellency Kalonzo Musyoka has continued to lead us while Raila has been seeking the leadership of the African Union. We continue to ask him to guide us as a coalition even as Raila enters the critical stage of his bid for the AUC,” he added.
The Azimio faction positioned itself as the alternative government, criticizing Ruto’s administration for its failures.
“May I also tell Kenyans that you are looking at the alternative government. What is before you today, and many others who will be joining us, are the ones who will be forming the government because Ruto has completely failed in any attempt that he has made,” Kioni concluded.
The reaffirmation of Raila Odinga’s leadership and the condemnation of ODM’s involvement with the government reflect the ongoing political tensions within Kenya’s opposition as they navigate their role in the country’s evolving political landscape.
ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna threw a new twist to the mix saying that nothing will change even after William Ruto nominated four members of the party to his broad-based government’s cabinet.
