Kalonzo: I shouldn't be asked to apply for running mate position

Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka has maintained that he is the obvious choice for running mate in Azimio.

Mr Musyoka said he should not be subjected to the embarrassing process of applying to be ODM leader Raila Odinga’s partner in the presidential race.

He said that in the past two presidential elections he and Mr Odinga had been politically potent but had been rigged out.

“If we were to tell each other the truth, and everyone in our team knows the right thing to do, I do not understand why anyone would ask me to apply for the position of running mate. Did Raila apply to be the flag bearer?” posed Kalonzo during an interview on KTN News yesterday.

The Wiper leader said he and Mr Odinga won the 2013 and 2017 elections and the 2022 contest would be theirs to lose.

Mr Musyoka spoke as Junet Mohamed, the Azimio la Umoja Secretary General unveiled the seven members of the selection panel that will pick Mr Odinga’s running mate. 

The seven are Bishop Peter Njenga, Archbishop Zacchaeus Okoth, Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua, Michael Orwa, Noah Wekesa, Sheikh Mohamed Khalifa and Beatrice Askul Moe​ 

The deadline for picking running mates had been slated for today but the Azimio team and other parties managed to convince the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to extend it to May 16.

Under Azimio, the names of Mr Musyoka, Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua, former Gatanga MP Peter Kenneth and Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya have been floated as potential running mates.

The Wiper leader said that if he was not picked as running mate it would be difficult for Azimio to get a majority votes not only in Lower Eastern but among his supporters across the country.

“Truth be told, it will be difficult to access the votes in Ukambani,” he said.

On Sunday while addressing residents of Kitui town, Mr Musyoka reiterated that Mr Odinga would lose the elections if he does not pick him as a running mate.

While paying tribute to former President Mwai Kibaki, the Wiper leader said that in honour of the fallen leader, the country should explore possibility of a Grand Coalition government that will bring everyone together.

“The Grand Coalition government has an exemplary track record,” said Mr Musyoka.

The Wiper leader said during the period he deputisied Mr Kibaki, he was committed and loyal to his boss.

“I gave Kibaki time to work as president, that is why the government delivered,” he said.

Mr Musyoka described the late former president as a father figure in the nation.

“I had the privilege of serving as the vice president. There are few leaders even in the African continent with the spirit of selflessness and a singular sense of purpose to their people,” he stated.

“He would get the nation laughing by using language that young Kenyans would not be allowed to use,” said Mr Musyoka.

He noted that there were, however, frequent fights between him and the ODM leader during the grand coalition government.

Mr Odinga was the Prime Minister in the grand coalition government.