- There were fears that the meeting would explode amid a push to fire non-committed officials.
- Last week, another meeting collapsed after Karua reportedly reject the proposed venue.
Image: FILE
Details have emerged as to why a crucial meeting of Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition principals was aborted at the last minute due to escalating tensions within the outfit.
Opposition leader Raila Odinga, the leader of the coalition was forced to call off Thursday’s meeting over concerns that it would further widen the cracks.
There are signals that tension is building among coalition partners over 2027 ambitions amid pressure to have some officials considered as non-committal or lukewarm fired.
Thursday’s meeting was to take stock of the coalition’s status and also evaluate the commitment of some officials said to be at cross purposes with Azimio’s agenda.
The meeting had been called by Azimio’s National Coalition Executive Committee chairman Wycliffe Oparanya at a time when some coalition members are perceived to have taken a back seat.
Some have snubbed the coalition’s activities and programmes since Azimio lost to President William Ruto in the 2022 presidential duel.
They were set to be axed on Thursday during the high-level session that was to be attended by constituent party leaders including Wiper’s Kalonzo Musyoka and Martha Karua of Narc Kenya.
“You are hereby notified that the meeting scheduled for tomorrow Thursday 25th January 2024 will not proceed as scheduled," read part of the message sent out to NCEC members.
"The cancellation is occasioned by an overlap of the meeting with ongoing membership recruitment drives by one of our affiliate partners happening in Mombasa this week, where the chairman and other members of the NCEC are actively involved."
Even as the notification indicated that the postponement was occasioned by Raila’s heightened activities at the Coast, there are reports that this was done to forestall further divisions in both Azimio and ODM parties.
There were plans to have Suna East MP Junet Mohamed kicked out as the Azimio Secretary-general, days after it was revealed that Raila’s ODM wanted him axed from the party leadership.
Junet is the Azimio Minority Whip in the National Assembly and serves as the ODM director of campaigns and parliamentary affairs secretary.
On Tuesday, Raila defended Junet in the wake of attacks directed at him saying the Suna East MP is in ODM to stay.
“Junet is going nowhere, those are mere rumours by the media. In every house, people differ in opinions and that is normal. Junet has not gone anywhere, nobody has laid a finger on him, he is the director of campaigns at the ODM,’’ he said.
This came hours after a section of ODM leaders including former Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho clashed with their colleagues pushing for Junet to be fired.
Joho had described the show cause letter to Junet as "completely unnecessary and uncalled for”.
The ODM Central Management Committee meeting chaired by Raila on January 10, had threatened to fire Junet from the party’s leadership for his alleged “continued absence” from parliamentary group meetings.
Last week, another meeting is said to have been aborted after Karua allegedly declined the venue of the meeting which was to happen at the Kalonzo Musyoka Command Centre.
Karua who has clashed with Kalonzo over the formation of Kamwene group-an alliance of Mt Kenya leaders within Azimio-rejected the proposed SKM venue.
Jubilee Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni confirmed there was to be a meeting but said it was postponed because Kalonzo and Karua were away.