The last-minute entry of the One Kenya Alliance (OKA) into the Azimio la Umoja movement appears to have complicated the power-sharing equation the ODM leader Raila Odinga and his Wiper counterpart Kalonzo Musyoka ahead of the 2022 General Election.
New details have emerged revealing that the Azimio led movement will front the former Jubilee Party Secretary-General Raphael Tuju as its gubernatorial candidate in Nairobi while the former State House Chief of Staff, Nzioka Waita, will be fielded as his running mate.
Waita has expressed interest to vie for the Machakos gubernatorial seat, on an Azimio ticket. Tuju, on the other hand, has maintained that he can vie for an elective seat in either Siaya or Nairobi County.
Speaking to the media, Tuju neither denied nor confirmed the reports and stated that his political aspirations would be unveiled at a later date.
"The uniqueness of my duality is that I am both from Siaya and I have spent decades in Nairobi. I can run for both County and constituency positions in both Nairobi and Siaya. I have reconciled and I am at peace with the duality," he spoke to Nation.
However, OKA's into the Azimio bandwagon has thrown a spanner in the works, with reports indicating that Kalonzo demanded a slice of the Nairobi cake in order to shelve his Presidential ambitions in favour of the former Premier for the third time.
Further, it is reported that the Wiper leader insisted that the Machakos Gubernatorial seat should be reserved for his party.
The dynamics of the Azimio-OKA alliance are set to change should Tuju throw his hat in the Nairobi gubernatorial race that is set to be a hotly contested seat.
They include Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja, Kenya Kwanza's Bishop Margaret Wanjiru, Businesswoman Agnes Kagure and former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko.
Others in the race include the President of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) Richard Ngatia, Sonko's former Spokesperson Ben Mulwa Westlands MP Tim Wanyonyi.
Should Tuju join the race to become the next Nairobi governor, it would throw Odinga and President Uhuru Kenyatta back to the drawing board as they seek to control the country's economic hub.
Businessman Richard Ngatia has in recent times been seen as Jubilee's candidate, and it would mean a fierce battle during the primaries to determine the party's flag bearer.
Odinga and his ODM party have already thrown their weight behind Westlands Member of parliament Tim Wanyonyi. Should Jubilee and ODM each field a candidate, pundits argue that it would potentially spark a sibling rivalry within the coalition and faultlines that could lead to fallout.
