Narc Kenya party leader, Martha Karua, is quietly positioning herself as the leading preferred running mate candidate in the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya coalition.
Karua - who is also seeking the Kirinyaga gubernatorial seat - says she is ready and willing to face the selection panel tasked with interviewing candidates.
Her main competitor, Kalonzo Musyoka of Wiper, is openly opposing the process saying that it amounts to belittling him. Kalonzo has been criticised for chest-thumping and further elevating himself to President Uhuru Kenyatta and the former Prime Minister, Raila Odinga's levels as well as being unsettled.
While fronting Karua’s name, Narc-Kenya’s deputy secretary general, Asha Bashir, confirmed her availability and respect for the coalition party structures.
“We also confirm Karua’s willingness and request to appear before the esteemed selection panel on Monday, May 9, 2022,” Bashir wrote.
With the timeline set by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) for selecting running mates fast fading, Azimio La Umoja One Kenya is racing against time to solve the crisis.
Kalonzo categorically assured his followers that he will not adhere to the interview process and instead called for a dialogue with Uhuru and Raila.
“I was Raila’s running mate in 2013 and 2017, do you think Kalonzo Musyoka should be subjected to an interview?”
“This is not America. This is Kenya,” he argued while addressing a gathering at Emali, Makueni on Thursday, May 5.
Political pundits argue that Kalonzo may have talked himself out of a job by listing several demands and making controversial sentiments such as alluding to seeking numbers in Azimio that can impeach Raila if he contravenes their agreement after assuming power.
Among the selection panel’s criteria for choosing Raila’s running mate are integrity, support base and the votes one can consolidate, commitment to constitutionalism, novelty, compatibility with the presidential candidate and loyalty or subordination.
The loyalty and subordination test was set in reference to the fallout between President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto. Kalonzo has been accused of picking a leaf in Ruto’s books by openly going against Azimio principals.
In as much as Kalonzo may score high in all, Azimio insiders are worried that he may not be loyal again and his press conferences and public criticism of the alliance may make him incompatible with Raila.
They further alleged that Kalonzo may be Deputy President William Ruto’s mole, a theory Kalonzo has disputed on several occasions.
“I do not want United Democratic Alliance (UDA) campaigning for me to be Raila’s deputy. I want to defeat UDA,” Kalonzo stated in Emali, a few days after DP Ruto alleged that Uhuru, Raila and their teams were disrespecting Kalonzo.
Insiders further noted that Karua passes all tests set by the selection panel, but are worried about her iron lady status.
Other than Karua and Kalonzo, Murang’a Woman Representative Sabina Chege and former Gatanga MP Peter Kenneth are in line to be Raila’s deputy. The duo was fronted by President Uhuru Kenyatta through his party, Jubilee.
Raila’s ODM fronted Governors Ali Hassan Joho (Mombasa) and Wycliffe Oparanya (Kakamega), while Kanu supported Kalonzo Musyoka.
However, Kanu’s nomination was marred with controversy as the party’s Secretary-General Nick Salat later wrote to the panel recommending Baringo Senator and the party’s chairperson, Gideon Moi.
