Spare us running mate shame, Ugenya MP tells Azimio leaders

President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga have been urged to take charge and give the country a running mate.

Ugenya legislator David Ochieng said the ongoing comics are embarrassing to the candidates and called for Azimio la Umoja luminaries to save the coalition from public ridicule.

Ochieng said it is high time Mr Odinga and President Kenyatta persuaded other council members to handle the issue of a running mate with sobriety.

''The issue of the Deputy Presidency is serious and should be done in silence. The noise of who is going to be Raila's running mate is hurting the coalition. I wish we could approach it with some level of Circumspection. Those tasked with the responsibility should be left to perform their task quietly and give Kenyans their verdict,'' he said.

"These so many issues on who is about to be called, who is in the shortlist is hurting us. We don’t need to hear about them but waiting to hear that so is Raila's deputy,” he added.

He was speaking at Sega Polytechnic today while disbursing cheques to needy students.

He asked the panelists tasked with the mandate of coming up with the DP to go to their backrooms, close the windows, doors and give us the name in the next three days. 

Ochieng, who is the Movement for Democracy and Growth Party leader wants the Azimio Council to drop the ongoing zoning talks.

He said coalition partners should be left to freely field candidates in other posts and much focus should be put on getting more votes for Raila. 

The legislator noted that unless it is handled with great care, it would lead to disintegration of the parties forming the alliance to help Raila’s presidency

''I want to advice the Azimio Council comprising of the presidential candidate Raila Odinga, President Uhuru Kenyatta, Kalonzo Musyoka that talks of zoning is hurting us as Azimio since it will dampen the spirit and affects turn out,'' said Ochieng.

Ochieng insisted that candidates running for various positions on his party ticket will not step down for anybody or be affected by zoning.

He assured Kenyans that all Kenyans running on MDG tickets will fight up to the ballot box. 

The MDG party is presently in a coalition agreement with One Kenya Alliance, which supports Raila Odinga’s candidature.

The party is among the new members under the OKA team that signed a coalition pact to join the Azimio La Umoja Movement in March.