After months of contention between Azimio Principals and Raila Odinga, one of them has finally decided to pull his party out of the coalition.
Speaking on Saturday when he chaired a meeting in Webuye, Eugene Wamalwa announced that his party, the Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K), would no longer be affiliated with the Azimio Coalition.
“We are saying as DAP-K that we cannot and we no longer find it tenable to continue being in a relationship with people who are no longer like-minded with us, who have persistently aided and abetted Zakayo in reintroducing harsh taxes,” Wamalwa stated.
Wamalwa also cited the collaboration of some of the coalition leaders with the ruling Kenya Kwanza Government that have made the coalition unpopular with the people as well as their support for Gachagua's impeachment as the other reasons for this drastic action.
He expressed his dissatisfaction with the new broad-based Cabinet that includes his colleagues from the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), for aiding and abetting President William Ruto's bad governance.
“When John Mbadi brings those taxes, you will not say it is Ruto who has brought those taxes, you will say that Ruto has converted some of our colleagues in ODM to become Zakayos like him.”
Following the exit, Wamalwa stated that the party would immediately be embarking on a nationwide recruitment drive for candidates to vie in all the electoral seats in the upcoming 2027 election.
“The party has also said that with all our chairmen from all our 47 counties, we will go back to each of the 47 counties to start an aggressive recruitment drive to prepare our party for the next elections,” Wamalwa added.
“The DAP-K will be fielding candidates in all positions from MCA to MPs to Women Representatives to Governor to Senator to the President and yours truly has been given that honourous task of carrying the flag into the presidential race of August 10, 2027.”
This decision follows months of the coalition principals calling out the calling out their leader, Raila Odinga since he made the decisive decision to align himself with the president, even letting four of his party members join the government they so often opposed.
Wamalwa and the other Azimio coalition leaders had even called for the ODM party to recuse itself from the coalition because of this same reason, something that did not happen leading to his decision to withdraw his party instead.
It remains to be seen if the other Azimio principals will follow suit and withdraw from the coalition as well.
