NAIROBI, Kenya Mar 5 – Former United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development (UNCTAD) Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi has decided to shelve his
political ambitions in favor of Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Leader Raila
Odinga.
The move to drop his presidential quest comes weeks after he announced that
he will still be on the ballot during the August elections and was currently
crafting the Sauti ya Wazalendo coalition which he will use to battle it out in
the polls.
While accompanying Odinga in his tour in Bungoma, Kituyi made the
revelations that he had quit the race and was currently in talks with Raila.
“Over the last three weeks, I have been talking to Baba over the possibility
of us working together and I had wanted us to complete these talks before the
Azimio la Umoja tour of Bungoma county,” Kituyi said.
Kituyi insisted that the common goal within the affiliate parties of the
Azimio la Umoja Movement is to ensure that Deputy President William Ruto will
not scale to presidency come August 9th polls.
“Somebody must be stopped from ever becoming the president of Kenya,” he
said.
On February 24, the ex-UNCTAD boss was non-committal on whether he would be
in the race to the end or join like-minded coalitions that are coming up ahead
of the elections.
The recent talks with Odinga seemed to have changed his political direction
ahead of the polls.
It remains unclear on whether Kituyi will declare interest in any other
political seat having shelved his presidential ambition.
This is even as he builds the Sauti ya Wazalendo coalition that is set to
bring about 17 political parties with only five having publicly declared interest.
The five are Labour Party of Kenya, Party of Growth and Prosperity, Liberal
Democratic Party, Chama cha Uzalendo, and Alternative Leadership Party of
Kenya.
“We have been consulting about the structure of the coalition. Today’s
meeting was called by leaders of the various political parties we are working
with. The top organs of the other parties are still holding their meetings,”
Kituyi said.
“Five political parties have joined our team. A lot of others are on their
way,” Kituyi added.
Kituyi said he hoped the remaining parties would conclude their
consultations and join the team.
“We want to occupy the spaces created by the Political Parties (Amendment)
Act, 2021 by creating synergies in pulling together to establish a coalition,”
he said.
“There are 17 parties with whom we are discussing the rules of
engagement. We want to finish the agreement before they formally endorse the coalition,” he added.
