NAIROBI, Kenya Mar 14 – The political agreement between Azimio la Umoja Movement and the affiliate parties in One Kenya Alliance (OKA) might be in jeopardy as both political outfits are reading from different scripts when it comes to the naming of the coalition party.
The Chair of the Azimio la Umoja campaign Ndiriitu Muriithi and the spokesperson of Raila Odinga presidential secretariat Prof Makau Mutua have clarified that the twenty-two political parties which joined the Movement at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) made the move as single political parties.
“What was signed on Saturday was an agreement to form the Azimio la Umoja coalition party. Political parties come to Azimio as individual political parties they don’t come as alliances or coalitions. Whether it was Wiper, KANU or ODM,” Mutua stated.
Muriithi insisted that a party cannot be into two coalitions disputing the sentiments that the agreement between OKA parties and Azimio la Umoja Movement was a coalition-to-coalition deal.
“A party cannot be in two coalitions at the same time. The parties that joined Azimio joined as individual political parties not a coalition of parties,” Muriithi said.
This is a blow to Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka who said the Azimio la Umoja coalition party had transitioned to Azimio-One Kenya Alliance after his party and KANU signed an agreement to join the coalition.
“This thing has shifted, it’s no longer Azimio la Umoja movement but Azimio-OKA. Our lawyers led by me will have to reflect on legal technicalities. What am sure of is that in the few days we will register Azimio-OKA,” he said.
It has however emerged that the agreement between Azimio la Umoja coalition party and the more than 24 parties is not yet deposited at the registrar of political parties.
This therefore means that the political agreement is not yet binding and any political outfit that signed the agreement can as well bolt out if disgruntled.
“The coalition agreement is accompanied by certain declarations and statutory documents like constitution and registration certificate. All of that will be collated and in the course of several days will be lodged at the registrar of political parties,” Muriithi said.
Mutua further revealed that the Azimio la Umoja Movement is in talks to have Narc Kenya Leader Martha Karua join the coalition party ahead of the August elections.
“You know the political parties that have been on the chessboard. You know some of them are significant, obviously there is Narc Kenya led by Martha Karua who is an important figure in the political map in Kenya,” said Mutua.
The question on whether all parties in the One Kenya Alliance will join Azimio la Umoja Movement is now hanging in the balance as it remains unclear whether the affiliate parties like Narc Kenya will join the larger Azimio-OKA coalition party.
“We agreed the new coalition party is Azimio-OKA, if that had happened, even this thing had not been rushed as it was, we would all have come as One Kenya Alliance to sign,” Musyoka stated.
“I spoke to Martha Karua today, she is a bit uncomfortable. She is a senior counsel and that’s why we need as OKA to sit and look at the practicality and look at the actual situation. If the new configuration works to her disadvantage, she will be at liberty to say my friends I don’t think I want to sign into Azimio-OKA coalition party,” he added.
Musyoka had stated that the coronation of Odinga as the Azimio la Umoja coalition party presidential candidate was in fault as it had now shifted to the Azimio One Kenya Alliance.
“There was nothing there, even you will agree with me what people signed at KICC, if I ask all those Secretary generals what they fixed their signatures to, probably nobody knows,” said Musyoka.