Machakos gubernatorial hopeful, Nzioka Siwadie Waita, now claims Wiper party leader, Kalonzo Musyoka, walked out of a deal that was guaranteed to benefit the people of the Ukambani region.
In a statement dated Tuesday, May 17, Waita noted that Azimio La Umoja One Kenya presidential aspirant, Raila Odinga, had offered Musyoka a 20 per cent stake in Cabinet should they win the August 9 election.
Waita, who is running on a Chama Cha Uzalenda (CCU) party ticket - a party affiliated with Azimio, further noted that Odinga had promised Musyoka several government appointments as well as 1,500 kilometres of bitumen roads in the Lower Eastern region.
Further, according to the former State House Chief of Staff and head of the President’s Delivery Unit (PDU), Odinga had offered Musyoka a number of dams and piped water that would go a long way in addressing the perennial water shortage in the Ukambani region.
Musyoka was also offered three-level six hospitals that would be built in the counties of Machakos, Makueni and Kitui which are his strongholds, bringing together over 1.2 million voters.
Waita accused the Wiper leader of acting selfishly by walking out of a deal that would benefit the whole community.
“These promises are not Kalonzo’s property to walk away with on our behalf,” Waita stated as he slammed the Wiper leader.
In an earlier meeting, a section of Ukambani leaders - who met with Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Executive Director, Raphael Tuju, maintained that they were still in Azimio and the move by Musyoka to leave the political faction was personal.
Waita went ahead to note that Ukambani aspirants would back and relentlessly campaign for Odinga in his quest to become the country’s fifth President.
“It is clear from the Azimio La Ukambani leaders' meeting hosted this afternoon in Machakos that our people are not boarding the fantasy train to nowhere driven by personal interests at the expense of the community,” stated Waita after the meeting with Tuju and other Azimio affiliated Ukambani leaders.
“The Kamba nation must and will be in Raila Odinga’s government.”
Musyoka ended his engagement with Azimio on Monday, May 16, opting to run for the presidency under his Wiper party.
In his speech at the SKM Command Center in Karen, Musyoka accused his co-principal in Azimio, Odinga, of keeping the deeds of the agreement establishing the coalition secret and failing to honour an agreement to pick him as his running mate.
While Musyoka settled on Andrew Sunkuli as his running mate, Odinga picked firebrand politician, Martha Karua, to deputise him.
Musyoka and Odinga will now face off with Deputy President William Kipchirchir Samoei Arap Ruto who is running on a Kenya Kwanza ticket and deputised by the outgoing Mathira Member of Parliament, Rigathi Gachagua.
