Azimio La Umoja coalition is becoming bigger – increasing its chances of winning the August 9 elections. Smaller parties have signed coalition agreements through Jubilee Party raising its stakes for a power-deal with Orange Democratic Movement party.
In the last two weeks, President Uhuru Kenyatta’s party has signed coalition pacts with over ten smaller parties, handing it exclusive rights of negotiating on their behalf in the Azimio La Umoja Coalition Party.
The party has signed a coalition agreement with Pamoja African Alliance (PAA) party, which is affiliated with Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi, Kenya Union Party (KUP) of West Pokot Governor John Lonyangapuo, Party of National Unity (PNU), United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and Democratic Action Party (DAP).
PNU led by Agriculture CS Peter Munya, Wiper Party led by Kalonzo Musyoka and Kanu led by Senator Gideon Moi also have co-operation pact with Jubilee.
The move is meant to give Jubilee an upper hand in the negotiations and ensure the fringe parties benefit from the merger of the more dominant Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
Under the recently approved Political Parties Act, individual parties are allowed to join coalitions as individual parties without losing their identities.
The parties have moved to shield themselves under the shade of Kenyatta’s “tree”, to ensure Raila clinches the presidency.
Former Jubilee Secretary General Raphael Tuju said the parties that had signed with Jubilee would have Uhuru as their focal point within the grand Azimio.
“The whole point of having these discussions with these particular parties is that they are founded to collaborate with Jubilee, and also to have President Kenyatta fighting for their interests within the bigger umbrella,” Tuju said.
Tuju said the co-operation pacts would transform into a pre-election agreement.
However, some parties’ pact with Jubilee have brought about jitters within ODM like Kingi’s party which has anticipated that there will be a rival between Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho who is of the deputy party leaders in ODM.
Kingi stated in a statement that the co-operation is a step towards quest to bring the Coast region to the national political bargaining table.
Kingi is expected to intensify in the coming weeks as the two parties field candidates in each elective positions.
“The objective of the co-operation agreement that PAA has been signed today is to pave way for a structured dialogue process leading to the signing of a pre-election agreement.
The co-operation agreement has, therefore, granted PAA an opportunity to take to the national negotiating table the three main issues that PAA advocates for,” read the statement.
PAA had said that ODM leader had left it out of the Azimio La Umoja Coast tour rallies.
Similarly, the Democratic Action Party (DAP-K) is making inroads in western Kenya two months after it was formed.
DAP-K formed pact with Jubilee rather than with ODM besides Western being ODM stronghold.
For the last one month, the party has received defectors from Ford Kenya and ANC in what is widely seen to have dented the two outfits.