Raila Odinga, the Azimio-One Kenya presidential candidate, recently named Martha Karua as his preferred running mate in the August general elections. However, not all is well in the Azimio mansion, as Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has decided to withdraw from the coalition in protest of not being chosen as Raila’s running mate.
The wiper move has forced Raila to choose between working with Kalonzo and moving forward without him. The Azimio coalition has already lost Machakos governor Alfred Mutua and Kilifi governor Amason Kingi to rival Kenya Kwanza, and the coalition cannot afford to lose Kalonzo as well.
The sideshows of Kalonzo in Azimio have also caused discord among other party leaders, who believe Kalonzo is being treated preferentially despite the fact that he joined the coalition late, finding other leaders already working with Raila.
The IEBC has barred Kalonzo from running for president, putting the Wiper leader in a difficult position. What should Kalonzo do now? Kalonzo’s only option is to swallow his pride and return to Azimio to work with Raila for the betterment of the coalition and the country. Raila should forgive and accept Kalonzo in order to move the country forward as the election date approaches.
On the other hand, Kalonzo should abandon his ambiguous demands and work with what he has been offered, as the Azimio coalition is made up of many parties that must work together. If Raila forgives Kalonzo and the two leaders decide to work together, they will win this election in round one, but if they continue to pull the rope in different directions, they will lose to their rivals Kenya Kwanza and will be held responsible.
