MACHAKOS, Kenya, Feb 9 – There was drama at the ongoing Azimio La Umoja Coalition retreat at the Maanzoni Lodge after party youth wingers attempted to block Langata Member of Parliament Phelix Odiwuor alias Jalang’o from entering the meeting hall following his State House visit.
Jalango is among nine Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) legislators who met President William Ruto at State House, Nairobi amid speculations that they had dumped Leader Raila Odinga.
Even though they have not officially decamped to join the ruling Kenya Kwanza Alliance, the leaders will move forward to snub Odinga’s weekly Public Consultative Forum and focus on the government agenda.
This comes weeks after President William Ruto met Jubilee Party Members at State House who pledged to equally support the agenda of the government.
Details concerning the meeting have remained scanty but one of the key agendas will be to discipline members from both Jubilee and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) who have defied the coalition’s agenda.
The Azimio meeting is aimed at suggesting the way forward following the decamping of a number of MPs as well as halt any such move which might hinder Odinga’s political movement.
Ahead of the Parliament resumption, the PG meeting is also expected to come up with strategies on how to scuttle Kenya Kwanza Alliance business in the house.
“The meeting is nothing out of the ordinary, before the resumption of the house business we have Parliamentary group meeting.The agenda of the meeting will be communicated in time,”a source told Capital FM.
Recently, President William Ruto has rattled Odinga’s political camp by snatching elected and non-elected leaders from the affiliate parties.
Close to 32 Jubilee MPs have broken ranks with the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya and joined hands with the President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza Alliance.
President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua had a meeting with the legislators who hail from the National Assembly and Senate.
Led by Nominated MP Sabina Chege and EALA MP Kanini Kega the leaders committed to work with the government abandoning the revolution agenda by opposition leader Raila Odinga.
“We don’t want to feel left out in your government so we kindly request you to include us in your development plans,” Chege said.
Eldas MP Adan Keynan asserted that they will join hands to bolster the agenda of President Ruto’s administration.
“We want to be part of this government having been together before the last elections,” Keynan stated.
Other leaders who attended the meeting include MPs David Kiaraho (Ol Kalou), Irene Njoki (Bahati), Zachary Kwenya (Kinangop) and Shadrack Mwiti (South Imenti).
Mark Mwenje (Embakasi West), Amos Mwago (Starehe), Dan Karitho (Igembe Central), Stanley Muthama (Lamu West) and Joseph Githuku (Lamu)
Jubilee is part of the larger Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance that ran against Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza Alliance in the August 2022 polls.
It comes barely 24 hours after nine political leaders from ODM ditched their party leader Raila Odinga for his rival President William Ruto.
The leaders who held a meeting with President William Ruto at State House Nairobi, have abandoned Odinga for what they termed as his ‘endless politics’.
“It was a very cordial meeting and the MPs were categorical that they want development and not politics,” an official privy of the meeting deliberations told Capital FM news.
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