NAIROBI, Kenya, May 16 — The Wiper Party was on Monday expected to file an urgent case at the High Court seeking to nullify the Azimio-One Kenya Alliance Coalition Party Agreement citing illegalities.
The Kalonzo Musyoka-led outfit made the announcement on Sunday saying the move was anchored on the resolutions of the party’s decision-making organ.
Makueni lawmaker Dan Maanzo who was set to led Wiper’s legal team said the party had resolved to have Musyoka renew his presidential bid in the event he is not picked as the running mate for Azimio presidential candidate Raila Odinga.
“The agreement of Azimio-OKA has legal issues. As wiper and its lawyers, we are approaching the High Court tomorrow seeking to impeach the agreement of Azimio-OKA and I believe the court is a court of justice and will guide the political parties correctly… and we will prove that the current agreement is illegal and unconstitutional,” he said.
Maanzo said Wiper’s suit will empower other parties said to be stranded in Azimio over intricate exit procedures to abandon the outfit hurriedly crafted under the leadership of President Uhuru Kenyatta who has anointed Odinga as his preferred candidate in the August 9 presidential election.
“We had conducted a National Delegates Conference which authorized Kalonzo to run for president and also negotiate with like-minded parties to team up and form a coalition. But the only reason Kalonzo withdrew his presidential ambitions is so that he may run as a deputy of Raila,” the legislator remarked.
“Now that it seems from the indications so far that Raila Odinga no longer wishes to work with Kalonzo and his party Wiper, it is clear that there will be no Raila Odinga without Kalonzo,” Maanzo added.
He added that Wiper could only abandon the suit if Kalonzo gets the running mate slot in Azimio ahead of the May 16 deadline set by the electoral commission, IEBC.
“The only thing that can avert this is further negotiations and nothing much seems to come out of it. Raila seems very fixed in his quest against Kalonzo’s deputy presidency,” Maanzo said.
The Wiper leader has deputized Odinga twice but the two failed to clinch the presidency.
Wiper’s possible exit from Azimio will bring to three the number of political parties that have since decamped even though the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal (PPDT) said parties that signed up for Azimio could not exit without following internal mechanisms.
Details on the contents of the Azimio agreement suggest that parties intending to leave have to give a six months notice to a council headed by President Kenyatta, a provision PAA and Maendeleo Chap Chap have contested as illegal.
Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi’s PAA and Maendeleo Chap Chap let by his Machakos counterpart Alfred Mutua have since joined Deputy President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza outfit which has expanded its membership to over a dozen parties, up from three founding parties: UDA, ANC and FORD Kenya.
Mutua cited lack of transparency on the contents of the Azimio deal as his reasons for quitting the outfit. Kingi cited similar frustrations.
