Wiper leader, Kalonzo Musyoka, says he will make known his next course of action should he not be picked as the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya running mate.
Speaking to TV47 on Wednesday, April 27, Kalonzo declined to affirm whether he would remain in Azimio if the presidential aspirant, Raila Odinga, settles on another candidate as his running mate.
“That is a very important point to note. We shall make a decision when that time comes. That is if I miss out on being the running mate,” Kalonzo played coy with his response.
To further fuel controversy on the future of Azimio, Kalonzo acknowledged that some of his allies were waiting for him to give them the way forward.
He recalled calming down a few of the troubled souls in his party by asking them to desist from pushing the coalition to settle on him as running mate. The former Vice President stated that the agitation would make him appear desperate.
Kalonzo, in a thinly veiled attack, castigated the alliance for selecting a committee that would come up with criteria for selecting Rala’s running mate.
“I even warned some people from speaking. It’s like they harbour a lot of pain inside and are probably wondering why I am being interviewed for the position.
“I was a running mate in CORD and NASA,” Kalonzo argued. He, nonetheless, insisted that his allies had a right and free will to have their own thoughts and opinions.
The Wiper leader further argued that even the late President Mwai Kibaki reportedly endorsed him for the presidency in 2013, and had much faith in him.
In a separate interview with KTN News earlier in the day, Kalonzo stated that his name is among the list of potential running mates, alongside Narc Kenya party leader, Martha Karua.
Karua has been touted as the most preferential candidate and even accompanied Raila to the US as Kalonzo was left behind, attending numerous interviews to sell his bid.
“Raila knows that he has up to May 16 (after the Independence and Boundaries Electoral Commission extended the deadline), but we are now focused on burying the late Kibaki,” Kalonzo told KTN News.
While speaking at the Senate, however, Siaya gubernatorial candidate and Raila’s confidant, James Orengo, warned candidates against coercing aspirants to select them as running mates.
“To treat the presidency as an arranged marriage is wrong. Don't force yourself into a marriage.
"Let me predict something, the next President is going to secure his five-year term depending on what he does in his first year. And in the next one and half years, he can secure his second term,” Orengo cautioned.
