Raila and Kalonzo.
Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka is set to join William Ruto and Raila Odinga in the presidential race in the event that he is not picked as Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Alliance running mate.
According to Makueni Member of Parliament Daniel Maanzo, the Wiper party had already began collecting signatures to field Kalonzo in the presidential race should things not go in their favour in the Raila Azimio camp.
He has also revealed that the party has already decided on a possible running mate for Kalonzo, whose name will be presented to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) before Monday, May 16.
“We have collected all the signatures and they are ready. On the May 16 running mate naming deadline, we cannot miss that, we have identified a suitable running mate for Kalonzo,” Maanzo says.
According to a Kalonzo associate, the party was backing Raila’s candidacy in the hopes of receiving the running mate spot, which had been agreed with President Uhuru Kenyatta and the ODM chief.
He went on to say that they don’t understand why his party’s leader was put to interviews despite being the perfect choice for the role.
Maanzo also warned Raila that he will receive less than one million votes from Mount Kenya if he chooses a running mate from the region, he argued that Deputy President William Ruto had gained popularity in Central and it will a suicide mission if Raila goes for a deputy from there.
“That is why we said that no Kalonzo, no Raila. If Raila does not pick Kalonzo as his running mate, then he cannot win this election because they can only raise votes under a million mark,” said Maanzo.
The Makueni MP’s sentiments come hours after Azimio running mate panel led by Noah Wekesa presented names of 3 best candidates to deputize Raila in the August 9 general elections.
According to the report, Martha Karua is leading with 82% followed by Kalonzo and Peter Kenneth with 80% and 76% respectively.
Also Read: Political Analysts Reveal Why Ruto Wants Raila To Pick Kalonzo As His Running Mate
