Sad Day for Azimio As Baba na Martha Political Synergy Dies

Those gifted with a long memory remember when Mzee Jomo Kenyatta stepped onto the podium on Saturday December 12, 1964 at Uhuru Park with Jaramogi Oginga Odinga beside him to declare that Kenya was a Republic. The synergy between the two was spontaneous and electrifying. It was genuine hegemony and a solid marriage of political ideals.

On Monday May 16, 2022 at the same venue, history was made when NARC-Kenya leader Martha Wangari Karua stepped out to declare that she had accepted the offer to be Raila Amollo Odinga’s running mate in the upcoming presidential elections. The country which had been poised anticipating she would join Kenya Kwanza heaved a sigh of relief. Political pundits had a field day on how the scales were tilted in favour of Raila because of his ingenuity in recognising gender balance.

Last week when Martha Karua was among the first leading politicians to oppose a report prepared by Kalonzo Musyoka, which Raila Odinga had already backed, the Azimio deathknell had sounded. It was the beginning of the end for a short-lived political marriage of convenience which saw Martha Karua referred to by BBC as “Kenya’s possible first female Deputy President”. It’s over now.

Any time now the iron lady from Gichugu is bound to walk out on Azimio stalwart Raila Amollo Odinga, officially. The painful part of it is that former President Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta sympathies appear to be with Karua.

Raila’s endorsement of a report that failed to address the primary issue of high cost of living but specifically entrenched the office of Leader of Official Opposition goes a long way to show whose interests he has at heart even when he calls Maandamano.

Kenyans are watching.

In the meantime, Raila’s longtime lieutenant and now Siaya Governor James Aggrey Bob Orengo has accompanied president Dr. William Samoei Ruto to India.