Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga's sentiments on not recognising the legitimacy of President William Ruto's government put the former Head of State, Uhuru Kenyatta, on the spot.
In his Kamukunji speech, Raila denounced Ruto's presidency noting, "We cannot and will not recognize the Kenya Kwanza regime and consider the Kenya Kwanza government illegitimate. We don’t recognize William Ruto as the President of Kenya."
The ODM leader's sentiments saw a section of Azimio leaders question whether Uhuru had endorsed the message given that the Azimio chair had legally handed over power to his successor.
In particular, former Mukurweini MP Kabando wa Kabando wondered about Uhuru's next move in the event he endorsed the sentiments.
"Did Azimio Chairman (Uhuru) endorse it? If he did, can he retract his handover sword? And secondly, when and where were Azimio affiliate parties consulted?" He wondered.
In search of how the sentiments portrayed Uhuru, Kenyans.co.ke sought the opinion of political experts who shared the views on Raila's anti-Ruto sentiments and Uhuru's influence on the same.
According to political analyst, Nafula Kisiangani, there was no indication on whether the former Head of State endorsed Raila's message.
The analyst cited Uhuru's international duty amid other reports that he was planning to exit the political stage.
"From the body language of Uhuru, he is not interested in local matters. He has been more into international affairs. I do not think that the message can be associated with Uhuru.
"There is a time that it was stated that he was planning to leave his position as Azimio chair," she stated.
Additionally, the absence of key Jubilee leaders was questioned as a number of them wondered whether Uhuru's party was rooted within the opposition.
Notably, key Uhuru allies led by nominated MP Sabina Chege and EALA MP Kanini Kega met with Ruto hours before the rally. The duo missed the Kamkunji meeting.
Consequently, Nafula indicated that the meeting demonstrated the split within Azimio.
"Everything indicates that a significant number of Jubilee leaders move one. We only hear the party SG Jeremiah Kioni speaking of Azimio. It is highly divided and that has weakened Azimio," she expressed.
On his part, analyst Herman Manyora stated that the move by a section of Jubilee leaders was influenced by personal interests.
He warned that Raila would only be stronger if the head of state continued to raid his camp.
"What takes them there is that they are selfish. This is politics. The President ought to focus on the economy. There are so many hardships.
"They should not rejoice if they take people from Raila's side. That makes him a dangerous animal because he will take his message to the people. You can tame leaders," he stated during an NTV interview.
Meanwhile, Uhuru is yet to officially comment on Azimio's latest statements. However, prior to handing over, the former Head of State maintained his support for Raila.
“I will hand over power smiling because it is constitutional. Aluta continua but I will leave knowing Raila is my leader,” Uhuru stated during Azimio PG in September 2022.
