Kalonzo accused of asking for Sh3 billion bribe to join Azimio
Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka’s prospects of joining the Azimio la Umoja Movement have been hampered by bribery allegations, with governors from the Ukambani region claiming he is demanding billions of shillings to join the coalition.
Governors Alfred Mutua (Machakos), Charity Ngilu (Kitui), and Kivutha Kibwana (Makueni) ruffled feathers over the weekend, saying they were aware of secret financial demands issued before considering supporting Raila Odinga’s presidential bid again in the coming elections.
“We are ready to work with whoever is willing to change the lives of Kenyans, but there are some people who have decided to sit on the fence and we know they are bargaining for money. We know they have asked for Sh3 billion to sell our Kamba community for their own interests, (Kuna wale wengine ambao wame sema hao wata kaa kando kwanza wangojee,wajipange wafikirie alafu wata amua,sisi tunajua sio kando wangajoea ati wanafikiria ama mawazo imewazidia ama ni kupanga wana panga mikakati,apana ni pesa wana ngojea,sisi tayari tunajua ya kwamba wameitisha billioni tatu ,na wale wame itshwa wame tuambia,ni kama kuuza kabila la ukmba ndio wao binafsi wapate hela,)” said Mutua.
The Wiper leader has on several occasions ruled out supporting the Odinga for the third time saying it’s high time to reciprocate by supporting him.
Through their joint statement, the three governors said the Kamba community will no longer be in the opposition yet they have enough numbers to influence the outcome of an election.
“The Ukambani professionals have said a time has reached for our people to have a good life. We fought for our people to have a good life. We fought for democracy to benefit from the fruits of devolution,” Mutua said.
Kibwana observed that the tough conditions held by the OKA chief before joining Azimio were dangerous for the posterity of the community.
“We are not against any leader or leaders joining the coalition but they should withdraw the many conditions. Because you can make many conditions and fail to be accepted in good faith. We don’t want to hear that you came late or early to Azimio. We want political maturity such that if you are in one place you remain there,” he said.
Ngilu accused Kalonzo of holding the community hostage saying the time had come for him to release the Kamba people to support Raila’s presidency.
“Honestly if there is a person within our community who is still waiting for something so that he joins Azimio it’s not fair at all, and if he wants money let him come to the community and we shall fundraise and give him so that he can release our people because we need to go. Let him stop asking for money forthwith, even though we have poverty in our community, we still have some pride,” she said.
However, Kalonzo has remained adamant despite recent claims of a deal in the works.
Among the resolutions endorsed by the professionals and business community caucus supporting Azimio presidential candidate include: A commitment to engage Odinga in tailoring communities’ economic blueprint and inclusion of the Kamba community in government through a memorandum of understanding to be signed.
“We need to end the politics of negative competition and grandstanding among the leaders of the region and embrace teamwork and unity of purpose in the Kamba nation in national agenda and politics at national level,” read part of the resolutions.
The professionals affirmed the need to radically shift from the politics of seeking positions for individuals to new politics of seeking development. The Kamba community has a population of five million people with 1.7 million registered voters and about 600,000 spread across the country and the globe.
