President Kenyatta To Chair First Azimio Council Meeting Attended By Odinga At KICC

NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 21- President Uhuru Kenyatta will on Thursday chair the first Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya Alliance council meeting, a day before presidential candidate Raila Odinga leaves the country for the United States.

The meeting comes at a period when tension within the alliance has heightened over who will be Odinga’s running mate in the August 9 polls.

The meeting will be held at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre.

Shahidi News has established that Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka will be present during the meeting. He is one of the council members.

Others include Narc-Kenya leader Martha Karua, KANU chairman Gideon Moi, NARC leader, Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu, and DAP-K party leader Wafula Wamunyinyi.

Muranga Woman Representative Sabina Chege will also be present.

Tension has lately escalated after a section of the alliance asked Odinga to pick Karua as his running mate. The former Vice President has however protested against such a move, saying he was the most suitable candidate for the position.

He said such a decision will only be made by the President, Odinga, and himself.

Women leaders led by Ngilu have been rooting for Karua- who hails from the Mt. Kenya region, just like President Kenyatta.

Machakos Governor Dr. Alfred Mutua has also expressed his interest in becoming Odinga’s running mate.

Other issues likely to dominate the meeting include who will fly the alliance flag in key electoral positions like the Nairobi gubernatorial seat.

Already, a political storm has erupted after the late entry into the race by former Nairobi Deputy Governor Polycarp Igathe.

Igathe, who has the backing of President Kenyatta, will be running on a Jubilee party ticket.

Until his entry, Westland Member of Parliament Timothy Wanyonyi was the leading gubernatorial aspirant within the alliance.

While there is pressure to have him back down, Wanyonyi has remained defiant, saying “the race to City Hall is still on.”

But it is not only Wanyonyi who is likely to suffer from the apparent tribal arithmetics playing out in making such decisions.

Businessman Richard Ngatia, who has a baggage of alleged credibility and education issues, as well as Agnes Kagure have also been eyeing the seat.

Nairobi Governor Anne Kananu, whose ascendance to the seat was after the controversial impeachment of Mike Sonko, is also running for the seat.

Whoever will be picked to run for the Nairobi gubernatorial seat will face Senator Johnson Sakaja of the Deputy President William Ruto-led United Democratic Alliance, under the Kenya Kwanza alliance.