Politicians troop to Raila’s Azimio movement

By Jeremiah Kiplang’at and Wycliffe Kipsang

Scores of political bigwigs are repositioning themselves around opposition leader Raila Odinga’s Azimio la Umoja movement as the 2022 State House battle draws even closer.
The rush to join Azimio la Umoja has assumed urgency following Raila’s confirmation on Friday that he will throw his hat in the ring for next year’s presidential showdown.
Raila’s opponents, including Deputy President William Ruto and the One Kenya Alliance principals Musalia Mudavadi (Amani National Congress), Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper), Moses Wetang’ula (Ford Kenya) and Kanu national chairman Gideon Moi, are the losers in the latest political realignments.
Raila’s new movement brings together like-minded parties whose leaders he is banking on to help him win the presidency in next year’s polls.
The latest to abandon Ruto’s camp for Azimio are West Pokot Governor John Lonyangapuo, his Kilifi counterpart Amason Kingi and Kisii Deputy Governor Joash Maangi, who declared their support for Raila before the Kasarani launch last week.
Kingi had dropped hints that he was headed to the DP’s camp before shifting his focus to OKA but at the weekend, he categorically expressed his support for Azimio although he will still retain his new party, Pamoja African Alliance (PAA).
Today, Ford Kenya rebels Wafula Wamunyinyi and Eseli Simiyu are expected to join the Democratic Action Party-Kenya and declare support for the Azimio movement.
New entrants
It is instructive that the party’s launch to be held at the Bomas of Kenya will be attended by Raila.
Already, Ford-Kenya deputy leader Richard Onyonka has decamped to Raila’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party.  
East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA) MP Mpuri Aburi is among the new entrants to Raila’s movement.
For Lonyangapuo, 2021 has been so long he has gone from being a diehard Ruto supporter to a new, vibrant recruit of Raila.
He is the latest in a string of governors from the Rift Valley who have fled from the DP’s camp in the last year, pointing to a mounting challenge for Ruto who is banking on a solid home ground in next year’s presidential bid.  
The governor, elected on a Kanu ticket, had been a vocal supporter of the DP since he fell out with party leader Gideon not long after the last elections over alleged mistreatment by top officials in the independence party.
He had been the only elected Kanu governor in the country but wrangles saw him acrimoniously abandon the outfit.
Ruto gladly received him to the Hustler nation and it was not long before Lonyangapuo hosted him for various functions in West Pokot, often flaunting his presidential candidature and promising to deliver him the county votes.
One party
The DP was the only senior government official to visit areas affected by deadly landslides in the county in 2019.
However, the blossoming relationship did not last long before cracks started appearing.
Sources yesterday said the failure to pass the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) was the main reason the two fell out.
The DP’s attempt to herd all of his supporters in the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) has also been cited as a key factor in the separation.
Lonyangapuo and Pokot South MP David Pkosing were solid supporters of the BBI because it proposed one more constituency for the county. They rallied their constituents to support the constitutional amendment project.
“Attempting to say communities can realise inclusivity by boxing them in one party is not only a lie but is dictatorship and unconstitutional. It only promotes majoritarianism, a recipe for chaos. Such dictatorship will fall at the ballot. I call upon Kenyans of good will to embrace structured inclusivity,” Pkosing told People Daily yesterday, adding they will campaign for Raila to make sure he ascends to power.
The governor was also a strong proponent of increased funds to counties from 15 per cent to 35 per cent, saying that as one of the marginalised regions it was bound to benefit from more money.
The DP opposed BBI claiming it was meant to create more executive positions for leading politicians at the expense of development projects for wananchi.
Lonyangapuo and Pkosing have since launched their own party, Kenya Union Party (KUP), which, they say, would push for more resources for their people.
They have also endorsed Raila and were present during the Azimio la Umoja convention at Kasarani.
 “The main reason for the creation of KUP is simple; KUP is here to change how politics is transacted in this country. We stand for political tolerance and anyone who stands for this is welcome to join us… we are looking for partners to work for the good of our people,” the governor said.
Last year, the DP enjoyed support of at least 10 of the 14 governors in the Rift Valley and his allies said then he was looking at locking the region before next year’s polls by ensuring all of them were within his fold.
Lonyangapuo joined Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui, Elgeyo Marakwet’s Alex Tolgos, Kajiado’s Joseph ole Lenku and and Laikipia’s Ndiritu Muriithi who have publicly declared their opposition to Ruto’s candidature, sending the DP to the drawing board as he fights to regain support from their counties.
Narok Governor Samuel ole Tunai, Trans Nzoia’s Patrick Khaemba and Samburu’s Moses Lenolkulal have suddenly gone silent on their support for the DP with none failing to publicly indicate their political stance for months now.
Re-election battles
Bar Turkana Governor Josephat Nanok and Kericho’s Paul Chepkwony, those within his camp are locked in fierce re-election battles with most focusing on their survival rather than boosting the DP’s campaign.
Nandi Governor Stephen Sang, Baringo’s Stanley Kiptis and Bomet’s Hillary Barchok are fighting for their survival as they seek to retain their seats. 
Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago, who has served two terms, has thrown himself back into the ring for the county’s senate seat, attracting rebuke from opponents who accuse him of focusing on a “small seat” instead of campaigning nationally for the DP.
At the weekend, Mandago joined the DP in Turkana for the Tobong’u Lore festival hosted by his counterpart Nanok and promised Ruto his full support.
“The DP is the only one who has a proven development track record compared to his opponents. As governors from the North Rift, we assure him of our unwavering support,” said Mandago.
The other reason for the governors’ flight has been Ruto’s insistence on them joining UDA rather than being coalition partners.
This has been pointed as one of the key reasons the DP has lost key allies including former Agriculture minister Mwangi Kiunjuri and Gatundu South Moses Kuria, who have sworn never to fold their parties to join UDA.
Political analyst Prof Macharia Munene says the DP may find it difficult to find allies if he insists on everyone joining his party, saying it was the democratic right for anyone to form a party, adding the push to lump everyone in a single outfit might face serious opposition.
“DP Ruto has been a victim of this but he is now pushing for his supporters to belong to one party. It might bring some challenges to him because it is a reality there will be many parties,” said Prof Munene.
Two horse race
Despite the friction it was bringing to his camp, the DP has insisted on his decision, asking those with him to join his party.
“As UDA, we believe we have a national party that brings communities together. We challenge our competitors to stop dividing the country on party lines,” the DP said in Narok at the weekend.
It was the same gospel he was spreading in Turkana where he was the chief guest during the cultural festival.
Governor Nanok, who joined Ruto’s camp after abandoning Raila’s party, affirmed his support for the DP, promising to drum up support for the bottom-up economic model that has become Ruto’s rallying call.
“Turkana is behind the bottom-up economics championed by UDA and its promise of empowering the ordinary mwananchi through investing in small businesses to grow local economies,” said Nanok.
Buoyed by the momentum after the Azimio rally and strong signals of  President Uhuru Kenyatta’s backing during Sunday’s Jamhuri Day celebrations, Raila’s supporters feel the State House seat is theirs to lose.
Yesterday, ODM secretary general Edwin Sifuna said they would defeat Ruto “hands-down” in the next election.   
 Speaking while meeting Bungoma county ODM delegates at his Siaka village home in Kanduyi constituency, Sifuna said Ruto cannot be trusted to lead the country.
“The Deputy President William Ruto won’t beat Raila, Kenyans all know who to elect despite it being a two-horse race,” he said.
Sifuna added: “Ruto is using non-existent government projects to hoodwink voters but on the ground there are no such projects, we need a leader who will tell Kenyans the truth like Raila”.

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