Kalonzo Changes Tune After Raila's Chief CS Offer

An image of Wiper Party Leader Kalonzo Musyoka
An image of Wiper Party Leader Kalonzo Musyoka
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Kalonzo Musyoka

Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka is said to be considering returning to the Azimio coalition after former Prime Minister Raila Odinga offered him the Chief Cabinet Secretary post.

According to reports, the former Vice President is warming up to the position and has demanded that it be included in the Azimio agreement.

Kalonzo reportedly held talks with a number of Azimio la Umoja leaders after word went round on Wednesday, May 18, that he had met both President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga.

He defended his demands arguing that the position, which is similar to that of the Prime Minister, is not anchored in the Constitution.

From left Kalonzo Musyoka, Gideon Moi , Uhuru Kenyatta and at the Wiper Party leader's Karen residence on March 18, 2022..jpg
From left: Kalonzo Musyoka, Gideon Moi, and Uhuru Kenyatta and at the Wiper Party leader's Karen residence on March 18, 2022.
Kalonzo Musyoka

Musyoka was offered the position on Monday, May 16, as Azimio flag-bearer unveiled his cabinet that included Mombasa governor Hassan Joho snapping up the Lands Ministry and Peter Munya retaining his position as the Agriculture Cabinet Secretary.

On the same day, Musyoka held a parallel press conference where he announced his presidential run after the fallout with the Azimio brigade, naming Andrew Sunkuli as his preferred second-in-command.

The former Vice President argued that he could not continue working with the former Prime Minister after he lost the running mate slot to former Gichugu Member of Parliament and Narc Kenya party leader Martha Karua.

After he was offered to super CS job, however, his allies, including Wiper Deputy Secretary-General Dan Maanzo, rubbished the position as a pipe dream which was nowhere in the Constitution.

Maanzo argued that the appointment meant nothing and that the Azimio top echelon was plotting to shortchange Kalonzo, a seasoned politician who has deputized Odinga in the last two General Elections.

“The position of Chief Minister does not exist in the Constitution of Kenya and is unimplementable if you’re terming it in the framework it has been put in.

“Unless the Constitution of Kenya is amended, there is nothing like Chief CS or Chief Minister in our Constitution," stated the Makueni MP.

Kalonzo reportedly submitted his nomination papers to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission in advance to avoid being locked out.

His attempt to exit Azimio has however been described by some lawyers as an exercise in futility.

"Wiper Party is part of Azimio-One Kenya Coalition Party. In short, Wiper already nominated Raila Odinga as its presidential flag bearer. They cannot have a second bite at the cherry," Steve Ogolla, an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya explained.

ODM party leader Raila Odinga and Wiper's Kalonzo Musyoka shake hands after Kalonzo endorsed him for the presidency at Jacaranda Grounds on Saturday, March 12, 2022
ODM party leader Raila Odinga and Wiper's Kalonzo Musyoka shake hands after Kalonzo endorsed him for the presidency at Jacaranda Grounds on Saturday, March 12, 2022.
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Kalonzo Musyoka