coalition of influence

Kenya: Who’s who in Raila Odinga’s Azimio la Umoja alliance?

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This article is part of the dossier:

Kenya 2022: Who will win the great race?

By Jeff Otieno

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Posted on April 13, 2022 14:41

Presidential contender and former prime minister Raila Odinga is counting on his skills in building a coalition to take on deputy president William Ruto in the August 2022 polls. One Kenya Alliance leaders Kalonzo Musyoka and Gideon Moi have joined Raila’s Azimio la Umoja coalition, setting the stage for a face-off with deputy president William Ruto and his Kenya Kwanza Alliance.

On 12 March, Azimio la Umoja, which brings together more than 20 political parties, unveiled Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Raila as its flag bearer in this year’s presidential election.

The coalition, crafted around ethnic kingpins, mimics the National Rainbow Coalition that swept the Kenya Africa National Union (KANU) party from power in 2002.

READ MORE Kenya’s Ruto: ‘[I] will accept the outcome of the election whichever way it goes’

According to documents seen by the media, Azimio will have at least four deputy chairs to be picked from the Coast, Western, North-eastern and either Nairobi or Eastern regions. It will also have a position of secretary reportedly earmarked for a candidate from Nyanza, and an organising secretary, probably from Rift Valley.

The coalition has attracted some of Kenya’s political heavyweights and also top professionals who have excelled both locally and internationally. Below are some of the people Raila will rely on to vie for the presidency…which has eluded him four times.

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