Kalonzo's Wiper Party Seeks to Withdraw from Azimio La Umoja-One Kenya Coalition

The Wiper Democratic Movement Party has announced it will move to court on Monday seeking to exit the Azimio La Umoja-One Kenya coalition.

Makueni MP Dan Maanzo, one of the lawyers representing Wiper, said the party wants to withdraw from the coalition since talks to have Kalonzo Musyoka picked as Raila Odinga’s running mate have failed.

"The agreement of Azimio-OKA has legal issues. As wiper and its lawyers, we are approaching the High Court tomorrow seeking to impeach the agreement of Azimio-OKA and I believe the court is a court of justice and will guide the political parties correctly... and we are able to prove that the current agreement is illegal and unconstitutional. That will mean every party in Azimio-Oka will go its own way," Maanzo told journalists.

Maanzo says Musyoka shelved his presidential bid in favor of Odinga so that he would be on the ballot as the running mate, but the ODM party leader has demonstrated he is not ready to work with him.

"We had conducted a National Delegates Conference which authorized Kalonzo to run for president and also negotiate with like-minded parties to team up and form a coalition. But the only reason Kalonzo withdrew his presidential ambitions is so that he may run as a deputy of Raila. Now that it seems from the indications so far that Raila Odinga no longer wishes to work with Kalonzo and his party Wiper, it is clear that there will be no Raila Odinga without Kalonzo," Maanzo said. 

He added: “The only thing that can avert this is further negotiations and nothing much seems to come out of it. Raila seems very fixed in his quest against Kalonzo's deputy presidency.”

Odinga, who is giving his fifth stab at the presidency, is expected to unveil his running mate on Monday.