Wiper party leader, Kalonzo Musyoka, is set to vie for the presidency in the August 9 polls in the event he is not picked as former Prime Minister Raila Odinga's running mate in the Azimio One Kenya coalition.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke on Friday, May 13, Makueni Member of Parliament, Daniel Maanzo, disclosed that the party has already collected signatures and was ready to field Kalonzo in the August polls if things do not go their way.
Additionally, he disclosed that the party has also settled on a potential running mate for Kalonzo whose name will be submitted to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) before the Monday, May 16 deadline.
"The only reason he stopped his ambitions was to support Raila as his deputy. In the event that is not there, the law does not stop him from running. In the event Raila and President Uhuru Kenyatta change their mind, we will run on our own.
"We have collected all the signatures and they are ready. On the May 16 running mate naming deadline, we cannot miss that, we have identified a suitable running mate for Kalonzo," he stated.
The Kalonzo ally explained that the party was supporting Raila's candidature with the expectation of being given the running mate slot as negotiated with President Uhuru Kenyatta and the ODM boss.
He added that they do not understand why their party boss was subjected to interviews yet he was the best-suited candidate for the position.
Maanzo asserted that Raila will get less than one million votes from Mount Kenya if he picks a running mate from the vote-rich region. He stated that Deputy President William Ruto had gained popularity in that region.
"That is why we said that no Kalonzo, no Raila. If Raila does not pick Kalonzo as his running mate, then he cannot win this election because they can only raise votes under a million mark," he added.
The lawmaker added that the final decision on Kalonzo's candidature will be made public in the coming days.
The revelations by the Wiper team come barely a day after the Azimio selection panel led by veteran politician Noah Wekesa presented three names to Raila after conducting the running mate interviews.
Reports indicate that Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua was the leading candidate with a 82 per cent score followed by Kalonzo at 80 per cent.
