Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga went against the wishes of former President Uhuru Kenyatta in picking Martha Karua as his running mate in the August 9, 2022, polls.
In his book, Why Baba is Not the 5th - released on April 11, Raila's chief agent in the polls, Saitabao Kanchory, indicated that it was the first time the ODM boss defied his ally after the March 9, 2018 handshake.
Uhuru preferred another candidate to deputise Raila - an idea Suna East Member of Parliament Junet Mohamed supported.
According to Kanchory, Uhuru and Kanu party leader, Gideon Moi, leaned towards Wiper leader and former Vice President, Kalonzo Musyoka.
However, he described Raila's defiance as a masterstroke owing to the warm reception by Kenyans towards Karua's candidature.
The lawyer added that Raila preferred Karua as she was more inclined to join Azimio through a partnership with the ODM party rather than Jubilee.
"This approach mattered because it strengthened Baba's hand in navigating the high-stakes coalition power politics.
"Her announcement as running mate on the steps of the KICC sent shockwaves within the ranks of our main competitors and renewed hope to many Kenyans who saw it as a ticket with strong reform credentials," read the book in part.
Following the re-energised Azimio's campaigns, Kanchory added that Uhuru had to accept Raila's decision and even attempted to take credit for the decision.
"Realising the effect Martha was having, particularly in Mt. Kenya and among the womenfolk, President Kenyatta grudgingly accepted her and even tried to belatedly claim credit for her selection.
"Others like Junet Mohammed never quite embraced Martha and, on occasion, even tried to undermine the Azimio DP-designate," Kanchory stated.
Nonetheless, he defended Raila's choice, nothing that Karua contributed a lot to the Azimio team despite contrary perceptions among the political class.
Kanchory added that Karua's choice also improved Raila's perception among Kenyans amid talks that the former Head of State was controlling him.
In his Why Baba is Not the 5th - the former chief agent detailed how Azimio lost the elections, blaming key players within the Azimio circles such as Junet, former ICT CS Joe Mucheru and Prof Makau Mutua, who made key decisions during the campaigns.
