Azimio La Umoja Movement Receive Great Boost As Rift Valley Veterans Ditch UDA
Azimio La Umoja movement lead by ODM Leader Raila Odinga has received a great boost as veterans from Rift Valley Region prefer working with Raila instead of Ruto a head of August general elections.
The senior political figures from the Rift Valley are now trooping to the Azimio La Umoja movement following concern that Deputy President William Ruto prefers working with younger politicians from the region in his quest for presidency.
The politicians from the Rift Valley region and other regions across the country are slowly finding comfort in Raila’s movement and it is expected the number of those shifting camps will go up as August elections near.
DP Ruto has publicly displayed his preference for younger politicians leaving the veterans gasping for breath as they struggle to catch his attention.
Last Thursday, Raila received highprofile figures from the region led by Senate Deputy Speaker Margaret Kamar and former Cabinet Minister Sally Kosgey who expressed their readiness to work with him as he seeks to replace President Uhuru Kenyatta who is leaving office in August.
Other prominent leaders who joined Azimio are the former Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo, Gender Chief Administrative Secretary Linah Jebii Kilimo and former Bureti MP Paul Sang (who have now been handed the task of promoting Azimio in the region), the former MPs Stephen Tarus (Emgwen), Joseph Misoi (Eldoret South) and ODM North Rift coordinator Kipkorir arap Menjo.
Menjo said Yesterday that decamping to Azimio has just started and many of the politicians are on their way to join the movement.
“There were many other senior figures who we re there but did not want their photos to be taken. If they had been, people would have really been shocked at the new developments,” he told People Daily.
He added many veterans have have a feeling that Raila’s Azimio Movement was accommodative and had the support of the government and that is why many are ditching other parties to join Azimio.
“No one wants to be left out of Azimio La Umoja government,” he added.
The governor who was in accompaniment with other leaders when Raila hosted them, expressed confidence that the ODM leader was attracting increasing support in the region despite perception the region is DP Ruto’s stronghold.
Kamar was making a comeback after her unsuccessful attempt to be the first governor of Uasin Gishu in 2013 when she vied on ODM and lost to Jackson Mandago.
Political analyst Philip Chebunet, however, said those who decamped might not carry a lot of political weight with them adding that Ruto still enjoyed solid support from the region.
