Raila confirms Jubilee marriage
Raila Odinga has vowed to ensure fair nominations in the Azimio la Umoja coalition.
Considered one of the front runners to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta ahead of the August 2022 polls, Odinga also confirmed the marriage between his Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) political outfit and President Kenyatta’s Jubilee.
He asked candidates who will vie for various elective positions under the Azimio la Umoja to remain in the movement even if they lost, while promising to ‘absorb’ losers of a free and fair nomination exercise should he form the next government.
“It is important that if you opponent has won (in the nominations) you give them support to do campaigns,” explained Odinga.
He added: “We have a big coalition called Azimio La Umoja that brings Kenyans together, we will come together with other parties like Jubilee and agree on which areas each of us is strong so that we enhance our chances of winning.”
He also reiterated the stance in a meeting with with Kilifi and Turkana leaders in Nairobi.
“We want to build an accommodating environment for everybody going forward, don’t lose in the election and then run away to our competitors. Let’s remain in Azimio because together we can achieve what we have set out to do.”
Odinga’s utterances more or less confirm a broken marriage between President Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto.
Among other political outfits that have pledged their support for Odinga include United Party of Independent Alliance (UPIA) led by Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yattani.
“We want to be part of the decision making process on your administration because you’ll form the next Government,” said Yattani.