Exclusive: Kalonzo’s Revelation of Last Talk with Raila before Choosing Karua as Running Mate
Tuesday, June 12th, Kalonzo Musyoka, the leader of the Wiper party, revealed his last conversation with Raila Odinga, the co-principal of the Azimio la Umoja party, which prompted him to abandon his ambition to be the presidential running mate.
Speaking at the opening of a dormitory at Miumbuni Secondary School, Kalonzo disclosed that he acted in the coalition’s best interest.
While noting that Raila convinced him that Martha Karua would garner more votes as a running mate, Kalonzo maintained his conviction that Azimio won the presidential election on August 9, 2022.
“We were recently in Yatta Farm for Thanksgiving, although I was not on the ballot.
“Raila called me and explained that if we chose Karua, she would bring all the women’s votes in Kenya,” Kalonzo explained why his name was absent from the ballot for the first time since the 2010 Constitution’s enactment.
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Kalonzo elaborated that he contemplated Raila’s request for some time before agreeing to step down for Karua.
“Upon receiving Raila’s request, I went to my farm to reflect. I agreed with him because we had been on the ballot in 2013 and 2017, so I deemed it acceptable to rethink my strategy,” he revealed as the reason he decided to withdraw from the race.
Kalonzo, however, maintained that Raila had won the presidential elections in 2013, 2017, and 2022.
“In 2013 we won and did not win. This occurred in 2017 and 2022, which is why you saw us protesting,” the Wiper Party leader explained.
During the event, Kalonzo criticized former Kenyan governors Kivutha Kibwana, Alfred Mutua, and Charity Ngilu for campaign-related doublespeak.
“Before I joined Azimio, they were adamant that I should cross over, but when I answered the call, they changed their tune,” he lamented.
Mutua accused Kalonzo of egotism and blackmail while registering the Azimio la Umoja – One Kenya Coalition in April 2022.
While Raila immediately convened a reconciliation meeting following Mutua’s outburst, the now-Foreign Minister resigned from the coalition one month after the highly publicized dispute.
Kivutha Mutua, the former governor of Makueni, left Azimio immediately after the August 2022 general election.
Charity Ngilu, the former governor of Kitui, remained in Azimio but has been conspicuously absent from all coalition events.
Exclusive: Kalonzo’s Revelation of Last Talk with Raila before Choosing Karua as Running Mate
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