Wiper leader Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka is a walking, breathing self-embarrassment.
His latest self-insult is appearing in front of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s running mate vetting panel after dismissing it and calling it beneath him.
Why the sudden change of heart and appearing in front of a committee he so unwisely discredited?
Two possible reasons.
- Musyoka wanted to sabotage the vetting process and discourage all the candidates from participating. When nobody followed his cues, he turned tail and showed up to avoid automatic disqualification.
- It appears Musyoka may have calculated that he could never be president without the support of Odinga’s Luo Nyanza base. He is afraid that antagonizing Odinga would undermine his future presidential ambitions. So he’s doing the bare minimum to stay in his good graces.
Speaking to the press after attending the two-hour vetting session, Musyoka said he did not want to give anybody an excuse not to name him running mate, and that he also wanted to respect the panelist who include Archbishop Zacchaeus Okoth.
The Azimio advisory panel comprises Bishop Peter Njenga, Archbishop Zacchaeus Okoth, Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua, Michael Orwa, Noah Wekesa, Sheikh Mohamed Khalifa, and Beatrice Askul Moe.
His sense of entitlement has been a cause of discord within the Azimio-One Kenya alliance and delighted Deputy President William Ruto Kenya Kwanza camp.
The Wiper leader is acting as Ruto’s mole within Azimio, and he should be treated as such. His demands to be named running mate or turn Ukambani against Azimio should be viewed as a hostile act and a face-saving ruse.
Musyoka’s bizarre behavior prompted Makueni Governor Prof. Kivutha Kibwana, a fellow Ukambani politician, to declare him the problem in Azimio.
“It is clear Wiper was never in Azimio. Up to now, the party has never campaigned for Raila in Ukambani. Only the three Ukambani governors did so and raised Raila’s popularity in the region to about 65 percent,” Kibwana said in a report by The Nation.
It’s not the first time the former Vice President has swallowed his words. In June 2021, Musyoka said he’d be the most stupid fellow on earth to support Odinga a third time. But soon after, he changed his mind and declared “Raila Tosha” in a major Azimio rally.
Using surrogates, including former impeached Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko and Mutula Kilonzo Jr., Musyoka said he’s expecting to be named running mate or tank Odinga’s quest for the presidency.
The Wiper leader is acting as Ruto’s mole within Azimio, and he should be treated as such. His demands to be named running mate or turn Ukambani against Azimio should be viewed as a hostile act and a face-saving ruse.
It is a public reverse psychology move designed to trigger a denial of becoming the running mate so he can justify moving out of Azimio and joining Kenya Kwanza when that was his plan all along.
The self-declared most stupid fellow on earth, has not held any meaningful campaign to boost Odinga’s presidential bid. His most prominent appearance on the campaign trail was a recent appearance with Sonko. The impeached governor trashed Azimio’s DP vetting process, demanded that Odinga only serve one term against his constitutional rights, and threatened to work against Azimio if Musyoka was not named running mate.
Unlike Musyoka, other running mate candidates such as NARC-Kenya leader Martha Karua, former Gatanga MP Peter Kenneth, Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya, and Murang’a Woman Representative Sabina Chege participated in the vetting process without drama and have vigorously campaigned for Odinga in their constituencies.
Vetting a good way of finding a running mate and its widely used worldwide.
After all his antics, naming Musyoka as Azimio’s running mate would be a colossal mistake. He has demonstrated that he’ll be a rogue DP, just like how Ruto has been toward President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The panel is expected to present the names of running mate candidates by May 10.
There is no love lost between Odinga and Musyoka. Their cold and uneasy body language during Azimio’s events says it all.
Few will shed tears if the two part ways.