Why Was Azimio’s Make-or-Break Meeting Aborted?
Information has surfaced explaining the cancellation of a vital meeting among the key leaders of the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition. The abrupt decision was attributed to the increasing tensions within the coalition.
The leader of the opposition, Raila Odinga, who heads the coalition, had to cancel Thursday’s gathering due to fears that it could exacerbate existing divisions.
There are indications that within the coalition, there is a growing sense of tension regarding the 2027 goals. This tension arises from the pressure to dismiss certain officials who are perceived as indecisive or lacking enthusiasm.
The purpose of Thursday’s meeting was to assess the current status of the coalition and examine the dedication of certain officials who were rumored to be conflicting with Azimio’s agenda.
The gathering was convened by Wycliffe Oparanya, the chairman of Azimio’s National Coalition Executive Committee, at a point when certain members of the coalition are seen to have assumed a less active role.
Some individuals have disregarded the initiatives and plans of the coalition ever since Azimio was defeated by President William Ruto in the 2022 presidential contest.
They were scheduled for removal on Thursday in the elevated meeting, which was expected to include leaders from constituent parties such as Wiper’s Kalonzo Musyoka and Martha Karua from Narc Kenya.
“You are hereby notified that the meeting scheduled for tomorrow Thursday 25th January 2024 will not proceed as scheduled,” read part of the message sent out to NCEC members.
“The cancellation is occasioned by an overlap of the meeting with ongoing membership recruitment drives by one of our affiliate partners happening in Mombasa this week, where the chairman and other members of the NCEC are actively involved.”
While the notification suggested that Raila’s increased engagements at the Coast were the cause of the delay, there are indications that the decision was made to prevent additional rifts within both the Azimio and ODM parties.
There were intentions to remove Junet Mohamed, the Suna East MP, from his position as the Secretary-General of Azimio, following revelations that Raila Odinga’s ODM sought his removal from the party’s leadership.
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Junet holds the position of Azimio Minority Whip in the National Assembly, while also serving as the ODM director of campaigns and parliamentary affairs secretary.
On Tuesday, Raila supported Junet amidst criticism, asserting that the Suna East MP is committed to remaining in ODM.
“Junet is going nowhere, those are mere rumors by the media. In every house, people differ in opinions and that is normal. Junet has not gone anywhere, nobody has laid a finger on him, he is the director of campaigns at the ODM,’’ he said.
This occurred several hours following a disagreement among some ODM officials, including former Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho, who opposed their counterparts advocating for the dismissal of Junet.
Joho had described the show cause letter to Junet as “completely unnecessary and uncalled for”.
The ODM Central Management Committee meeting chaired by Raila on January 10, had threatened to fire Junet from the party’s leadership for his alleged “continued absence” from parliamentary group meetings.
According to reports, a meeting scheduled for last week was reportedly canceled because Karua supposedly refused the proposed venue, which was supposed to be the Kalonzo Musyoka Command Centre.
Karua, who has had conflicts with Kalonzo regarding the establishment of the Kamwene group, an alliance of Mt Kenya leaders within Azimio, declined the suggested venue for the SKM.
Jubilee Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni verified the existence of a scheduled meeting but indicated that it had been postponed due to the absence of Kalonzo and Karua.
Why Was Azimio’s Make-or-Break Meeting Aborted?
