NAIROBI, Kenya, May 7 – The Azimio running mate selection committee will on Monday and Tuesday engage candidates shortlisted to deputize the coalition’s flagbearer Raila Odinga.
The Chairperson of the selection committee Noah Wekesa revealed that the panel has already decided on the criteria and the modalities of arriving at the suitable candidate.
The question on who is best suited to be with Odinga on the joint presidential ticket has been a sore thumb in the coalition threatening to create fallouts within the mega coalition.
“In today’s (Saturday) meeting, the panel has established the criteria and modalities that will be used to evaluate the applications that have been submitted and to determine the best three candidates,” said Wekesa.
Wekesa stated this as he added the names of Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya to the shortlist.
Others who were added to the list include deputy ODM leader Wycliffe Oparanya and Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui bringing the candidates to eleven.
“The panel has established that there were applications that had been submitted to the campaign secretariat and unfortunately not been forwarded to the panel as no such communication had been anticipated,” Wekesa noted.
This further complicates the matrix of who will ultimately deputize Odinga as the affiliate parties compete to clinch the position.
The seven other leaders who were shortlisted include Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka, Narc Kenya’s Martha Karua and Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho.
Others are Murang’a Women Representative Sabina Chege, former Gatanga MP Peter Kenneth, KANU Chairman Senator Gideon Moi and former Kenyan Ambassador to Australia Stephen Tarus.
Musyoka who is deemed as one of the frontrunners maintained that he will not face the Azimio seven-member panel interviewing candidates for the position of running mate.
A defiant Musyoka said that he would not allow himself to be humiliated by subjecting himself to the process.
“I want to tell all Kenyans that I will not attend the said process. I find the entire thing demeaning to my person and will therefore distance myself from it,” he said.
Musyoka is now calling for dialogue bringing together President Uhuru Kenyatta, Azimio presidential flagbearer Raila Odinga and himself, to resolve the pending running mate question.
“As this panelists continue with their engagements, there is nothing hindering me, Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga to sit down and agree,” he stated.
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