NAIROBI,Kenya Apr 13-Feuds within the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance months to the August 9 polls as affiliate parties raise stakes in the coalition party has negatively painted the outfit in the recent past.
Wiper Party within the One Kenya Alliance is the latest to cause a storm in the political paradise by raising issues with the selection of a running mate and the expansion of the members of the coalition council from the initial 7 to 11.
The ripple effect of the political sparks within the coalition is the constant mudslinging of the party leader Raila Odinga as a man who cannot be trusted when it comes to political agreements.
In a bid to save the face of the political movement before things get out of hand, Odinga and the chairperson of the coalition party Uhuru Kenyatta have quickly moved in to quell the qualms within the affiliate parties of the coalition.
Former Jubilee Secretary General Raphael Tuju is now the point man to sort out contentious issues within the massive political movement as Odinga is tied with his political campaigns while Kenyatta on the other end is focused on cementing his legacy as he finishes his term.
Details emerging from the meeting held on Tuesday chaired by Tuju show that the political outfits have been warned against publicly propagating thorny issues in the movement when the secretariat has not formally handled it.
“This forum will be used to channel any concerns that we have within the coalition. We now have an organ through the guidance of Tuju to settle some of these issues,” said KANU Secretary General Nick Salat.
A leaked letter addressed to the Registrar of Political Parties Anne Nderitu Wiper party has protested the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya coalition party agreement submitted on April 9, saying it was doctored without the consent of all parties.
The party led by Kalonzo Musyoka have declared “ Raila Tosha” for the third time and have decided not to let the running mate slot be up for grabs, especially smaller parties among the Mwanzo Mpya caucus.
Sources within the meeting claim that even though the negotiating force from the political outfit are legitimate. The political vehicle has been advised to tame some of their demands as they risk losing the bigger picture of ensuring Odinga is the 5th president.
“Whatever Wiper is pushing for is well within their right as any other party within the coalition.They have been advised that some of their demands will have to be set aside, we can’t risk losing the main beacon of making Odinga the 5th president come August 9th,”a highly placed source stated.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that Musyoka has been offered the powerful Speaker position in the Azimio One Kenya Alliance government should it win in the August polls.
It is however, a position that doesn’t quite sit well with Musyoka’s key allies who feel short changed as they are pushing for the running mate post which is the second in command.
“We have offered Musyoka the Speaker position as the third in command because the running mate position has been offered to the Mt Kenya community. Let’s wait and see how Odinga and Kenyatta will finally agree on the issue,” the source stated.
Another battle front for Musyoka is the expansion of the members of the coalition council from the initial 7 to 11.
The move brings to the fore Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua and his Makueni counterpart Kivutha Kibwana.
As a self-declared Ukambani kingpin, having the Eastern region governors on the high table in the coalition will elude the perception that he holds full backing of the electorate in the region.
The latest internal wrangles within the coalition political party comes barely days after Odinga moved to seal looming cracks in the alliance following demands issued by 8 parties in the outfit.
The parties within the coalition decried exclusion in decision making within the coalition and threatened to quit if their grievances were not addressed.
