Jubilee Secretary-General Jeremiah Kioni explained former President Uhuru Kenyatta's stance on Azimio party leader Raila Odinga's declaration at the Kamukunji Grounds.
Raila had declared that he did not recognise William Ruto's Presidency. Speaking exclusively to Kenyans.co.ke on Tuesday, January 24, Kioni stated that Uhuru maintained his position of Raila being his leader of choice despite handing over power to Ruto.
However, the former lawmaker clarified that the Azimio chairman's role in the party's politics was minimal.
"Uhuru made it public that he would hand over power, but Raila was his leader of choice, and he cannot undo the handing over because he does not want to stain his hands.
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"When we continue pushing for what we believe in as Azimio, the party leader is Raila Odinga and the activities of the party are dictated more by the party leader and the secretary-general," Kioni stated.
The Secretary-General noted that Odinga was not mandated to consult anyone on decisions he made but only debrief constituent parties. Right before his Kamukunji Rally, Raila met leaders of the Azimio Coalition who backed his message.
"On January 23, when he got to the airport, we wanted a quick discussion to find out what he was up to and most of our message resonated with his thoughts," he disclosed.
Kioni dismissed claims of attempts to remove Ruto from office unconstitutionally. He reiterated that Uhuru could not reverse the peaceful handover of power, nor did he want blood on his hands.
In addition, he poured cold water on the recent meetings between leaders elected on a Jubilee party ticket and President Ruto.
"The behaviour of some of the members of Parliament did not surprise us. Even during the campaigns, we could see people who were conflicted.
"These are people we keep nursing, helping to move on. Maybe later in life, they will stabilise in what they believe in and where they want to belong," the Secretary-General explained.
Kioni has, on several occasions, demonstrated Jubilee's loyalty to Azimio. On January 18, he released the findings of a private investigation into the August 2022 polls exposed by whistleblowers.
According to the whistleblowers, Raila won the poll by three million votes, but the election was called in Ruto's favour.
Odinga declared that he would not recognise Ruto as the president and demanded an independent inquiry into the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) systems.
