2022 memorable moments of Kalonzo

Former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka is undoubtedly a seasoned politician who has seen it all, literally, and 2022 was another year to his CV.

In this article, we look at his memorable moments from a year that was characterized by a series of dramatic political activities.

‘I’d be a fool to support Raila for the third time’

Kalonzo had in months leading up to the August 9 presidential election indicated that he would be on the ballot. He categorically stated that he would not support Azimio la Umoja – One Kenya coalition leader Raila Odinga for the presidency for a third time, ‘without any form of reciprocity’.

Kalonzo, in several rallies and media statements, accused Raila of political ‘dishonesty’, claiming the ODM party leader had promised to support his presidential bid, after endorsing him (Raila) in 2017, then under the National Super Alliance (NASA) arrangement.

On March 1, 2022, Kalonzo called for a press conference in Nairobi and insisted that Raila owed him support in the August polls.

In an MoU shared with the media, Kalonzo said Raila had committed to supporting him for the presidency whether the NASA alliance won the elections or not.

“This agreement will remain valid until the 2022 elections whether or not NASA wins the 2017 Presidential elections,” the agreement signed on April 30, 2017, stated.

 Kalonzo accused Raila of being in breach of their agreement.

He claimed that by declaring himself as a presidential candidate, Raila had breached their agreement. 

“For Odinga to accept to be the ODM flag bearer he has performed an irreparable material breach of the contract,” Kalonzo said. 

He insisted that the NASA agreement would be the basis of their negotiations.

“As we begin the fresh round of political negotiation in our country I have been compelled to release this document due to the often said statement that I am an indecisive kingmaker and that I would be. A fool a third time to support Odinga” Kalonzo added.

‘Raila tosha!’

But barely two weeks after accusing Raila of breaching their agreement, Kalonzo on March 12 made a U-turn and declared support for Raila’s presidential bid, under the Azimio arrangement.

Kalonzo, who had vowed to go it alone all the way to the ballot, made the declaration at the Jacaranda grounds in Nairobi.

“I believe Odinga will not fail us and the ticket we have given him. I was honestly thinking Raila will say Kalonzo Tosha this time around. But with a clean heart, I am here to say Raila Tosha for the third time,” Kalonzo said.

He had earlier in the day signed an agreement to join the Azimio coalition at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC), an event that was attended by Raila, Jubilee party leader and then-President Uhuru Kenyatta and other coalition partners.

The declaration followed a series of meetings with Uhuru and Raila at State House to have him drop his hard stance.

‘We signed Azimio coalition deal blindly’

On March 14 (two days after the signing of the Azimio deal), Kalonzo claimed that partners in the Azimio coalition signed the agreement blindly.

He alleged that the process was not transparent as some parties were not aware of what they consented to.

Kalonzo indicated that his One Kenya Alliance (OKA) co-principals, comprising among others, Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua and KANU chairman Gideon Moi, would be retreating to review the legal technicalities of the agreement.

“There was nothing there, even you will agree with me what people signed at KICC, if I ask all those Secretary generals what they fixed their signatures to, probably nobody knows,” he stated.

“This thing has shifted, it is no longer Azimio la Umoja Movement but Azimio-OKA. Our lawyers led by me will have to reflect on the legal technicalities. What I am sure of is that in the next few days, we will register Azimio-OKA,” he said.

Running mate drama

A few months after signing the Azimio deal, Kalonzo locked horns with the coalition’s top brass, claiming there were plans to short-change him on the running mate slot, a position he is said to have bargained for during the coalition talks.

However, the political realities of the time left Raila in a dilemma on who to pick for a running mate after leaders from the Mt Kenya region demanded the position, ostensibly to counter Ruto’s gains in the vote-rich region.

The coalition then agreed to subject candidates interested in the slot to interviews, plans that Kalonzo vehemently opposed.

Buoyed by support from leaders from his Kamba community led by Kitui Senator Enock Wambua, Kalonzo threatened to skip the interviews, before changing his mind at the last minute.

Addressing members of the press after facing a 7-member panel on May 10, Kalonzo said he opted to participate in the process so as not to give anyone an excuse not to consider him for the position.

“The decision to come was my decision because I realized we didn’t want to give anyone an excuse whatsoever to say aligomea (he snubbed the panel),” Kalonzo said, adding “It has been a wonderful conversation.”

Kalonzo ditches Azimio

On May 16, Kalonzo bolted out of the Azimio coalition after he missed out on the running mate post. The coalition had resolved to name Karua as its running mate to counter the influence of Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza Alliance in the central region.

During the unveiling of Karua as Raila’s running mate at KICC, a disgruntled Kalonzo issued a parallel press conference, announcing he would run for the presidency.

Kalonzo, who was accompanied by Gideon Moi, unveiled Narok senate candidate Andrew Sunkuli as his running mate.

“For how long do people expect Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka to be the one who always has to sacrifice, and after the sacrificing they mess up the country. We would not allow this to continue. We are set,” Kalonzo said.

Kalonzo rejoins Azimio

On June 2, Kalonzo announced that he was rejoining Azimio after interventions by President Kenyatta.

He dropped his presidential bid and pledged to support Raila for the presidential contest.

After keeping his supporters guessing for weeks, he also accepted his nomination as Chief Cabinet Secretary.

Kalonzo’s move was a major boost for Raila who has four years enjoyed overwhelming support from the lower Eastern region.

But as fate would have it the Azimio coalition lost the top seat to Ruto of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party, despite the Eastern region rallying behind the candidature of Raila.

The Azimio team, however, maintains their victory was stolen.

Kalonzo attends Mashujaa Day celebrations

On October 20, Kalonzo attended the Mashujaa Day celebrations held at the Uhuru Gardens and presided over by President William Ruto.

The Wiper leader was the only senior opposition figure to attend the Mashujaa Day fete as other prominent Azimio coalition members skipped the event.

Kalonzo, who was sitting at the main VIP dais, shook hands with the Head of State as he joined other high-profile guests at the platform after inspecting the guard of honour mounted by the military.