Uhuru Kenyatta to pick Raila Odinga's deputy in Azimio coalition

President Uhuru Kenyatta will play a key role in the identification of ODM leader Raila Odinga’s running mate, as part of the duo’s political rapprochement that will culminate in the formation of a coalition party to contest the presidency in the August 9 General Election.

Political allies of the President have confirmed to Saturday Nation that the deputy president’s slot will be reserved for the ruling Jubilee Party, as part of the Azimio La Umoja Movement’s plan to tap votes from the populous Mount Kenya region.

ODM, Jubilee and about a dozen other political parties are expected to form a mega grouping under Azimio La Umoja, which will be registered as a coalition party to face off against Deputy President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza Alliance.

Jubilee deputy secretary general Joshua Kutuny, in an interview, confirmed that Mr Kenyatta will be heavily involved in choosing the former Prime Minister’s running mate, even as he was reluctant to discuss the matter in detail.

Mr Kutuny, who is also the Cherang’any MP, yesterday attended the Jubilee Party Parliamentary Group (PG) meeting at State House, Nairobi, in which the issue of the ruling party’s position in the Azimio coalition was discussed.

Read: Raila Odinga faces Mt Kenya for running mate

“The President underscored the need for full support for Azimio coalition. He also mentioned something like Jubilee will have a big say in producing Raila’s running mate. Those are part of negotiations going on, but it is too early,” said Mr Kutuny.

Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu, an ardent defender of the Head of State, said having a big say in selection of the running mate is Jubilee Party’s way of making sure it will be influential in the next administration.

“Jubilee is positioning itself to be an anchor partner in the next government and to continue to be the largest party in the country. We will not be asking for a running-mate position. It will be offered to us,” said Mr Wambugu after the PG meeting.

Read: William Ruto, allies have 5 weeks to leave Jubilee

He said Jubilee also discussed strategies for how it could emerge as the majority party at the Council of Governors (CoG), National Assembly, Senate and in at least 33 county assemblies after the August 9 polls. 

In an interview with Saturday Nation before the meeting, Kieni MP Kanini Kega said Jubilee has to produce the DP (deputy president) position.

“So whomever we will settle on as Jubilee flagbearer, with this set to be ratified in our National Delegates Conference on February 25 and 26, 2022, will deputise Raila because the agreement is that the presidential candidate will be from ODM, with Jubilee providing the running mate,” said Mr Kega.

Sources inside yesterday’s PG meeting said President Kenyatta promised to hit the campaign trail immediately after the party’s National Delegates Conference (NDC) slated for the end of this month. 
ODM party yesterday also announced an NDC on February 25-26.

Read: Western fronts Oparanya in Raila running mate dilemma

Mr Odinga, who is currently building a coalition with parties allied to the Head of State, has already agreed to work with Mr Kenyatta in his fifth stab at the presidency, under the Azimio la Umoja political formation.

Keen on ensuring defeat for his deputy William Ruto, who has been on the campaign trail under the Hustler Nation slogan, President Kenyatta, during the Jubilee PG meeting attended by over 85 legislators, yesterday asked them to continue supporting his bid to unite the country under Azimio la Umoja.

“Jubilee is not dead. Time for politicking has come and we shall do it,” he is reported to have told the MPs, promising to support them to revive the party. 

He also hit out at his deputy for going out on early campaigns, reckoning that being on the road for years will not guarantee him victory.

He recalled that in 2002, he only campaigned for about 70 days but still came second with a sizeable number of MPs that made him the Leader of the Official Opposition in Parliament. “Kutangulia sio kufika (Early campaigns will not guarantee victory),” he is reported to have said. “This might be a marathon for some, but some of us see it as a sprint.” 

Succession battle

Mr Kenyatta, who convened the meeting, spoke in his capacity as Jubilee party leader, not as President. The MPs reportedly gave him the mandate to be Jubilee Party leader beyond August 9, and endorsed him to be the person who will negotiate with other like-minded parties on his succession battle.

Top names so far mentioned as possible running mates for Mr Odinga include former Gatanga MP Peter Kenneth, Laikipia Governor Ndiritu Muriithi who was elected as an independent, former Minister Martha Karua (Narc Kenya) and Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya (PNU). The four are not members of Jubilee but any of them could still be chosen under the Azimio coalition deal.

Mr Odinga has constituted an election campaign board of 13 members to boost his chances of clinching power. It is chaired by Mr Muriithi, who is said to have been seconded by Mr Kenyatta’s wing, while the ODM chief’s wing chose the spokesperson, Elizabeth Meyo. Another member who was seconded by the Jubilee side is Priscilla Nyokabi, who is a commissioner at the National Gender and Equality Commission.

To deal with the disquiet that has crippled the ruling party for a while, Mr Kutuny told Saturday Nation the Head of State allowed over 30 MPs to raise issues that have been bedevilling Jubilee, which is currently facing strong competition from DP Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA), more so in areas where it previously enjoyed enormous support.

“Those who were allowed to comment on the domestic affairs of Jubilee Party were concerned about the preparedness of the party, as many want to defend their seats on the party’s ticket,” said Mr Kutuny.

Ahead of the NDC at the end of February, the party says it is putting its house in order through “aggressive recruitment and political activities, including rebranding, recruitment, coalition-building and nominations.”

One of the takeaways from yesterday’s meeting was that the party will establish regional and special interest caucuses and teams to meet with the President to work towards achieving set goals. 

Everything starts immediately, said Mr Wambugu. President Kenyatta is expected to embark on a tour of Mt Kenya as he seeks to undo Mr Ruto’s work in the region. The tours will be preceded by a Sagana III meeting that will also come after the establishment of campaign teams and the Jubilee NDC. “Everything (Sagana meeting and tours) will come up after we sort out the party issues and make it 'battle-ready' in the coming days,” said Mr Wambugu.

Read: ‘Lack of direction” worries city Jubilee aspirants

The President also reportedly said he fell out with DP Ruto over “his deputy’s sabotage of my development agenda” with his early campaigns. “He (President) told us...Ruto refused to listen to him, to first put politics aside and work for the people of Kenya, and he decided to concentrate on campaigns. I remember the meeting where the President asked all of us to abandon politics,” Mr Kega told Saturday Nation.

According to Ndaragwa MP Jeremiah Kioni, another ally of the President, the Head of State will during the countrywide campaigns elucidate what he has achieved and why he missed other targets.

“We have agreed that we are going to be a strong party in Parliament. Those who thought Jubilee is dead while it was working for Kenyans will be in for a rude shock because now we are ready for politics. 

“We have accepted that there are people who left us and let them choose their path as we head to Kenyans, explaining to them what we have done,” said Mr Kioni.

In a quick rejoinder, DP Ruto’s allies dismissed claims that he was insubordinate to his boss. 

“He (The President) has done his term to the full and there has been no disruption of his agenda. His budgets have passed without opposition and his development agenda has never been opposed. DP has been doing what he has always done since 2013,” said Murang’a Senator Irungu Kang’ata.

The Jubilee NDC will come up with President Kenyatta’s schedule of engagement programmes.

“Jubilee Party will now enter a period of aggressive recruitment and political activities, including rebranding, recruitment, coalition-building, nominations in preparation for the forthcoming 2022 elections,” said MP Wambugu.

Reporting by Onyango K’Onyango, Collins Omulo, Walter Menya and Ibrahim Oruko