NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 1 – Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka has finally managed to have his way of having Azimio la Umoja One Kenya as a coalition party.
The proponents of the initial Azimio la Umoja movement finally bowed to the pressure to have One Kenya Alliance (OKA) as part of the registered name.
This being the second signing agreement between the affiliate parties within the movement.
Despite the Azimio la Umoja spokesperson Prof Makau Mutua earlier statement that OKA is not part of the agreement insisting that the more than 22 political parties that joined the movement did so as individual parties.
“This is a great day because we are launching Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance. Today we will be moving to the registrar of political parties to register this outfit. We want to clarify though that parties in this outfit have joined as individual political party,” said Mutua.
Disgruntlement had started brewing within the movement when it emerged that political parties were reading from different scripts on the entities of the political agreement signed at Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).
Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua assured that following the agreement of the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition insisting that the new agreement has made all parties to be comfortable being in the political bandwagon.
“Make no mistake about this, I want all of us to understand that indeed its been along journey, serious talks and we are now at a place where we are comfortable assigning our signature to the document of Azimio la Umoja One Kenya,” said Wambua.
Wiper secretary general Shakilla Abdallah reiterated that the agreement was a three-legged stool involving ODM, Jubilee and affiliate parties within OKA.
She insisted that the deed of agreement will be devoid of betrayal and hatred as witnessed in previous political agreement.
“We want to assure our commitment. We have signed an agreement of a three-legged stool Azimio la Umoja One Kenya,” said Abdalla.
Even as Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua mentioned that OKA is dead a day before joining the Azimio movement, leaders from Wiper hold that the alliance is much alive.
The statement appears not to sit well with some leaders within Azimio Movement.
“OKA is very alive, it’s a coalition binded by cooperation agreement. We are still having more parties coming to OKA even Jimmy Kibaki’s party has joined OKA. It’s not dead,” Abdalla noted.
ODM secretary general Edwin Sifuna lauded OKA for setting aside past differences within the defunct National Super Alliance (NASA) and finally making the bold step of joining the movement.
“We have had differences before within NASA and now that we have a handshake between us,we will be walking together,”said Sifuna.
“This is a movement that stands for the unity of this country and that will deal with inclusivity of the management of the issue of Kenyans,”added Jubilee Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni.
Last month, Musyoka stated that so hurriedly was the inking of the grand deal that it was confusing as a lot of legal technicalities were by passed.
“This thing has shifted, it is no longer Azimio la Umoja Movement but Azimio-OKA. Our lawyers led by me will have to reflect on the legal technicalities. What I am sure of is that in the next few days, we will register Azimio-OKA,” he said.
The Wiper Leader said his Secretary General never signed the second document of agreement as the contractual pact was between parties in Azimio la Umoja Movement, which his party is not part of.
“We were not Azimio so what was passed there was Raila Odinga was given the mandate to be Azimio presidential candidate but when we went to Jacaranda, I clarified that now on behalf of OKA we will support Odinga and I hope my friends in OKA will agree with me,”Musyoka noted.
