A technical team report on potential presidential flag bearers for the One Kenya Alliance (OKA) has caused a rift between Wiper Leader, Kalonzo Musyoka and allies of his ANC counterpart Musalia Mudavadi.
Speaking at a public rally on Saturday, January 15, Kakamega Senator, Cleophas Malala, stated that they would not support any other presidential candidate other than the Amani National Congress party leader.
The ally of Mudavadi added that the ANC leader was a political heavyweight as compared to Kalonzo.
He used the analogy of a river and its tributaries when insisting that Mudavadi was best suited to battle it out with other presidential candidates in the August polls.
"You saw in the meeting of OKA that the technical team of OKA stated that Kalonzo should be the flagbearer with Musalia as his deputy. Is that possible?
"We want to tell them that a small river is the one that pours its water into a big river. The only formula that we shall accept in OKA is if Musalia will be the flag bearer," Malala stated.
However, at a separate event at his Yatta farm, Kalonzo insisted that he would not shelve his ambitions for any other candidate and insisted that his time had come.
The announcement by the Wiper leader comes after, his allies led by Makueni Senator, Mutula Kilonzo Junior, rubbished speculations that Kalonzo was keen on partnering with former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
"We have seen the rumours circulating that either the party leader of Wiper is going to quit the presidential race or is going to join Azimio. Those kinds of things are not why we have called for this meeting," the senator stated.
Additionally, Kalonzo's bid for presidency received a shot in the arm after businessman cum politician Jimi Wanjigi declared that he would support the candidature of the Wiper leader.
According to reports, the technical team had proposed three ticket options with Kalonzo being the flag bearer in all three options.
The team of experts further proposed that Kalonzo should be deputised by either Mudavadi, Bungoma Senator Moses Wetangula, or Narc Kenya Party leader, Martha Karua.
Speculations of a rift between the two leaders were echoed after Mudavadi failed to attend OKA meeting on Friday 14 where his co-principals received the report from the technical team.
However, it was explained that Mudavadi could not attend the meeting as he was planning ANC's National Delegates Conference (NDC) slated for Sunday, January 23.
