Azimio la Umoja One Kenya presidential aspirant Raila Odinga may rattle Azimio-OKA coalition after unveiling a new strategy to snatch votes in as many areas as possible.
While addressing aspirants and delegates on Wednesday, May 4, the former Prime Minister rooted for zoning to ensure that only one candidate from the coalition is given the ticket.
He explained that the move would guarantee them a high number of seats in the forthcoming August polls by eliminating sibling rivalry especially in areas where two or more partner parties enjoy generous support.
“The areas like you find in Nakuru, if ODM fields a candidate there, then the Jubilee candidate and ODM will share the vote and likely lose the vote.
“We just want only Jubilee fields and in the other one only ODM fields. ODM members in those 43 wards which are Jubilee are advised to vote for Jubilee candidate their and the same for ODM,” he added.
If the coalition goes ahead with the proposal, then Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and Jubilee Party would be the biggest beneficiaries in the Nairobi region.
According to the former Prime Minister, Jubilee would receive 8 constituencies as well as ODM while Wiper Party, which is headed by Kalonzo Musyoka, would only field one candidate in Embakasi South.
Also, Wiper Party would not receive any ward from the 85 areas in Nairobi as 43 slots would go to Raila and 42 to Jubilee Party.
The former Premier further explained that in highly contentious regions, all the parties in the Coalition would be given a chance to campaign from their candidate for a month before a poll would deliver the most popular to carry the coalition’s flag.
“Areas where you have Narc Kenya, Wiper or ODM, we have agreed that they will go for campaign for the first one month after which we will do a poll to see which candidate is stronger than the other and advice the weaker one to step down,” he added.
Raila is pushing for the zoning style to avert internal competition, which cost the National Super Alliance (NASA) several posts in 2017.
Wiper leader Kalonzo had said in March, that he will commence his 2027 State House bid immediately after Orange Democratic Leader Raila Odinga takes over the country’s leadership on August 9, 2022.
Late last month, Kalonzo raised concerns over being sidelined in the coalition, and had rejected the move to zone Nairobi County.
Through his Chairman Roy Kivusu, the former Vice President argued that the Kamba community was the largest voting bloc in the city.
The Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K) led by Wafula Wamunyinyi has also opposed the zoning formula, insisting that while they support Odinga’s presidential bid, they will field candidates across the country.