Fresh Storm In Raila’s Camp After OKA’s Letter To Registrar Of Political Parties

NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 12- All is not well at the Raila Odinga led Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya alliance, after the One Kenya Alliance caucus wrote the registrar of political parties, to stop the registration of the Azimio-OKA coalition party.

OKA is opposed to the inclusion of a fourth caucus, which he said was not part of the original deal.

In the letter seen by Shahidi News, the Kalonzo Musyoka led OKA said it also had issues with the increment of the members of the coalition council from the initial 7 to 11.

Further, they want Odinga to first pick a running mate, who will be the Deputy Party leader of the Azimio-OKA coalition party, “as is required under the law.”

The OKA caucus membership is drawn from the Wiper Party, the Kenya African National Union, the United Democratic Party (UDP) and The Movement of Democracy and Growth (MDG).

Machakos Governor Dr. Alfred Mutua said he was surprised by the move, saying OKA should be accommodative.

Recently, Mutua led 8 other political parties to form Mwanzo Mpya caucus, after claims of being excluded in the affairs of Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya alliance.

I urge H.E. @RailaOdinga and the other players in AZIMIO not to bow down to blackmail and extortion but to stand firm in championing for democracy, inclusion, politics of transformation, wealth creation, peace and stability in Kenya.

— Dr. Alfred N. Mutua (@DrAlfredMutua) April 12, 2022

Odinga met the members of the 8 parties and allayed their fears.

Mutua and his team are rooting for what they term a four-legged power-sharing deal, away from that of Musyoka, which has ‘three legs only’.

“First, as I said the other day, anyone opposed to the expansion of AZIMIO and wants only a three-legged stool of three parties to be in charge and disregards everyone else must have plans of blackmail and entitlement. A three-legged stool can collapse if one of the legs breaks off,” Mutua said in a statement.

“A four-legged one will still stand. Anyone engaging in a manner to ferment a crisis and pushing for the exclusion of others that would make Azimio stronger must be working for the competition to weaken a strong coalition that is meant to propel Raila Odinga to the presidency.”

I cannot find any other reasons for demanding that others be excluded and only a special outfit that creates an “Azimio La Utenganishi” be recognized.

— Dr. Alfred N. Mutua (@DrAlfredMutua) April 12, 2022

Mutua added that “This political selfishness is the problem that we have faced in this country – of leaders and opportunists who whine and blackmail all the time and who put their personal interests and not those of Wananchi first.”