Opposition principal Martha Karua has pulled her Narc Kenya party out of Azimio coalition as political realignments start ahead of the 2027 election.
In a move that signals the crumbling of the once-behemoth political formation, Karua said would not continue staying in the outfit.
“Our stay in Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Alliance is no longer tenable,” she posted on X, where he also published the party’s decision to abandon the coalition.
In a letter addressed to Azimio secretary general Junet Mohammed, Narc Kenya's acting secretary general Asha Bashir cited prevailing political developments.
“Kindly take note that our stay in Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition is not tenable due to the prevailing political developments,” she said.
“As Narc Kenya, by way of this letter, we are giving notice to exit the coalition as stipulated in the exit clause(s) in the coalition agreement. This notice is effective from the date of this letter.”
The move comes at a time sharp divisions are rocking the opposition coalition over political engagement with President William Ruto.
In a much-anticipated move, Ruto on Wednesday named key ODM leaders into his team, dealing a blow to the opposition's unity efforts.
The move also pointed to a political deal between Raila and Ruto ahead of the 2027 polls.
The power-sharing arrangement follows sustained mass anti-government protests by Gen Zs that triggered sacking of nearly the Cabinet.
Observers are unanimous that it is just a matter of time before Azimio becomes part of the country’s statistics of collapsed political marriages.
There are clear signals that the coalition is as good as dead and major political realignments are set to be witnessed in the coming weeks.
A section of the coalition leaders led by Wiper boss Kalonzo Musyoka have maintained they will not join Ruto’s broad-based government.
Some of the Azimio parties coalescing around Kalonzo include retired President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee, Eugene Wamalwa’s DAP-K and Karua’s Narc Kenya.
The deal has also caused cracks in ODM, with a number of party stalwarts led by Siaya Governor James Orengo and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino publicly rebelling.
In a clear sign that things have fallen apart, Raila’s known ODM allies have described the Wednesday events as the end of the political marriage with Azimio.
Mathare MP Antony Oluoch told the Star that the body language in the coalition indicates divorce.
“ODM is in government the of William Ruto, that is the truth. Azimio have been with us in two election cycles in different names and we don’t take for granted their support for Raila in past elections,” Oluoch said.
“But every journey must have an end. Coalitions are crafted to win power. I am afraid to say that this is the end of the road for Azimio.”
