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Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has been thrown into a dilemma after the collapse of One Kenya Alliance with his allies divided on what his next political stop should be.

While some think he should join Raila Odinga’s Azimio La Umoja movement and negotiate for a key position, others are steadfast that the former Vice-President must run for State House.

Kalonzo and Kanu chairman Gideon Moi on Sunday stormed out of Amani National Congress leader Musalia Mudavadi’s presidential campaign launch event in Nairobi on realising he had entered into a secret pact with Deputy President William Ruto.

This effectively marked the death of OKA, whose principals had pledged to stay together and field a single presidential candidate. With Musalia and Ford Kenya chief Moses Wetang’ula having joined Ruto,

Kalonzo remains a key political leader, whose decisions could dramatically change the August 9 State House contest. Pundits say he has the option of running for the presidency alone and lose, join Azimio or the new Kenya Kwanza Alliance of Ruto, Wetang’ula and Mudavadi.

Other politicians Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu yesterday asked the Azimio movement to name Kalonzo as the coalition’s presidential running mate even as other politicians said he is caught between a rock and a hard place.

Political pundits argued that Kalonzo’s uncharacteristic walkout of ANC meeting on Sunday was an indication that he still considers Azimio an option in his political calculations.

Speaking at Musyi FM Radio yesterday morning, Ngilu, who has declared her support for Raila, said it would be regrettable for Kalonzo to be out of government for the third time, saying it will hurt the Kamba community.

“There are all indications that Mt Kenya people are salivating for the running mate position that Kalonzo had under the Coalition for Democracy (Cord) and National Super Alliance, but we are asking that Kalonzo be given back this position under the Azimio coalition. We must fight for our space and we can’t just accept stories that it has been given out… how has it been given out yet we haven’t voted?” asked Ngilu.

Cord was Raila’s State House vehicle in the 2013 elections while he used Nasa in the 2017 polls. Defending Raila over accusations that he had failed to reciprocate Kalonzo’s support, the Narc party boss said ODM never won the elections in both occasions, therefore, the previous agreements were null and void.

“Raila has never been the president, so whatever agreement they had cannot be possible at this time. I know Raila will only be a one-term president, so I wish the OKA team remained solid and backed him,” said Ngilu.

The Kitui county chief maintained that Kalonzo had no option but join hands with Raila, otherwise he would lose and emerge third in the presidential vote.

“By the time Raila is retiring after his first term, Kalonzo will still be young and it will be a good opportunity for us as a community to create networks with other communities for an easy sail,” added Ngilu.

Makueni Senator and a key Kalonzo ally, Mutula Kilonzo Jnr, told People Daily that the Wiper party boss’s options of either running alone or joining Ruto or Raila were “consequential”.

“He is between a rock and a hard place. He has serious issues with Raila and Ruto. Going alone will be a guaranteed loss and joining any of them will require him to step down all the issues he has raised or step down, if he can. But the obvious thing is that OKA was a house on a quicksand,” said Mutula.

He added: “Joining either Raila or Ruto will come at a cost. It is the cost he (Kalonzo) will need to consider because the community does not want to be in opposition again. Leadership on this is key lest he faces a rebellion. The options are thinning fast and furiously… in reality, I don’t envy this position.”

Mutula noted that the quest for the community to be in the next government was unpredictable. Protest vote Wiper national vice-chairman said the breakup of the loosely formed OKA and the bitterness with former Raila political allies will work to Ruto’s advantage.

“Central Kenya will be a protest vote, the rest will be failed promises and Memorandums of Understanding, then Ruto will benefit by default,” explained the lawmaker. Yesterday, Wiper Party top officials held a meeting at which they declared that Kalonzo will be on the ballot in the August polls.

“It remains the Wiper party decision that Kalonzo was endorsed by our National Delegates Conference to vie for the presidency and that is what he will do,” said former Cabinet minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere, the Wiper party national chairman.

“We welcome other like-minded parties to work with us,” said Mwakwere, who addressed the media after a meeting of the party’s National Executive Council (NEC).

Kalonzo has ruled out working with Raila despite efforts by President Uhuru Kenyatta to bring the two together.

“It will be unthinkable to support Raila for the third time. I will be the most stupid person to once again support his bid without a measure of reciprocity,” he declared during a TV interview in June last year.

“I am open to working with all, but tell me why I should support Raila for the third time?” Kalonzo posed as he challenged the former Prime Minister to support him instead.

“I don’t see any person convincing me to support him. I’d rather go back to Tseikuru (his rural home) than support him again. At the age of 67, this is my moment. I must run. If I don’t, when would I?”

Yesterday, political analyst Dismus Mokua said Kalonzo and Gideon have three options: Create another coalition and seek friends and partners for purposes of running the entire mile to the ballot or join Kenya Kwanza Alliance or Azimio.

“The Kalonzo and Gideon walkout on Sunday suggests that OKA is dead. Kalonzo is in a good place because he will move the needle if he goes with option two or three. His stock is growing by the day as he waits for political offers to be placed on the table,” said Mokua.

Real politics He went on: “This is the time for political permutations and combinations to increase probability of winning. Politicians want to secure competitive advantages.

There will be winners and losers in the process. Politicians are playing real politics. They want to increase the probability of winning.” Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua and Makueni MP Daniel Maanzo, while watering down the aftermath of Mudavadi’s ‘earthquake’, said OKA’s leadership aspirations cannot be defined by individual political ambitions of a single coalition partner.

“We cannot even talk about betrayal to Kalonzo or Gideon; if there is any betrayal it is betrayal to a cause. But those of us who believe in the ideals of our coalition will remain steadfast,” said Wambua. Maanzo, a close ally of Kalonzo, dismissed Mudavadi’s exit from OKA, saying they will rebuild and rebrand the alliance by looking for partnerships from likeminded parties.