UDA chairman Johnson Muthama has warned the Azimio la Umoja -One Kenya Coalition presidential flag bearer Raila Odinga against disrespecting Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka.
The former Machakos senator who was speaking in Kangundo on Wednesday, April 20, accused President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga of using proxies including Kitui governor Charity Ngilu to abuse Kalonzo.
He urged the Azimio la Umoja team to respect the former vice president even if they were not willing to give in to his demands to be the coalition’s presidential running mate.
“I want to tell President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga not to mistreat Kalonzo. Give him the respect due to him. Kalonzo was a vice president and even if you are not going to give him what he wants, do not disrespect him by sending women like (Charity) Ngilu to abuse him,” Muthama said.
Muthama, who is eying the Machakos gubernatorial seat in this year’s General Election, said Kalonzo should not be made to look like anybody’s prisoner and threatened to take him to United Democratic Alliance (UDA), a party associated with Deputy President William Ruto.
“I can decide to become mad, storm that room you are sitting to conspire against Kalonzo, put him on my back, and take him with me to UDA,” he said.
Kalonzo, who had maintained that he will not work with the former prime minister again, announced that he had officially joined Azimio in a deal that would see him become a “natural” running mate.
However, since he signed a pre-election deal, things appeared to have taken a wrong turn after President Uhuru Kenyatta and his allies insisted that Raila’s running-mate is a preserve of the vote-rich Mt Kenya region.
This has seen Wiper Democratic Party allies threaten to ditch the Azimiola Umoja -One Kenya coalition, a move that saw the head of state constitute a panel to advise Raila on who is the best candidate to be his running mate.
