Orange Democratic Movement has accused Kalonzo Musyoka of not thanking Raila for his party’s win in the Machakos by-election.
While the party led by Raila Odinga was never seen on the campaign trail in the run-up to the mini polls, Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna insists the party’s boss was working in the background.
Sifuna accused Kalonzo, who leads Wiper Democratic Movement, of taking all the credit even though he knows he was helped.
“ODM supported the Wiper candidate for senate in Machakos. Even the decision by Maendeleo Chap Chap to withdraw from the race was largely influenced by Raila in order to help Kalonzo win over United Democratic Alliance,” Sifuna said.
In the by-election, the Wiper party’s candidate Agnes Kavindu won in 8 out of 8 constituencies and garnered over 100,000 votes against less than 20,000 votes by her UDA opponent, who came second.
The win was a reprieve for Kalonzo who needed the same to stamp his authority as the Ukambani political kingpin.
It also served to underpin his political might thus giving him chance to bargain for a bigger stake in any political formation ahead of the 2022 General Election.
It should be remembered Kalonzo and Raila have previously worked together. Most recently in the 2013 and 2017 General Election where they were flag bearers for CORD and NASA coalition respectively.
They have however since fallen out after the slow but sure disintegration of NASA, the coalition that brought together Wiper party, ODM, Amani National Congress led by Musalia Mudavadi and Ford-Kenya led by Bungoma Senator Moses Wetangula.
Musalia, Kalonzo, and Wetangula have since joined forces with KANU leader Gideon Moi to form an alliance with an eye on forming the next government after August 2022.
