Karua's Narc Kenya Issues Notice to Exit Azimio Coalition: "Our stay in Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Alliance is no longer tenable."

NAIROBI, 25 July 2023 – Narc Kenya has formally issued a notice to exit the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition citing intolerable political events. 

In a letter to coalition secretary-general Junet Mohammed, Asha Bashir, acting Secretary-General of Narc Kenya, conveyed the decision.

Please take note that with the prevailing political developments, our continued stay in Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition is not tenable, said Bashir. 

She added, 

By copy of this letter, we, as NARC Kenya, hereby issue a notice to exit the Coalition as provided under the exit clause in the Coalition Agreement. The said notice shall be effective from the date hereof.

The message was equally echoed by the party boss, Martha Karua, who posted on social media. 

Our stay in Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Alliance is no longer tenable. 

The development came barely days after the party boss assured that her relationship with coalition boss Raila Odinga remained firm while being interviewed in a local radio station. 

We talked not too long ago, and we will be able to talk again; the lines are open, she said.

Karua has equally dismissed any overtures for a unity government, instead calling for a formidable opposition that would ensure the Kenya Kwanza administration remains on its toes. 

She also justified Raila's decision to drop his interest in the African Union Commission job, arguing that he will be able to keep off political puppeteers. 

To his credit, he has said he is even ready to forfeit his candidature at AUC, which means he has now freed himself from being arm-twisted, Karua noted.

The move to leave Azimio comes a day after President William Ruto released his latest Cabinet nominations that completely left out allies from Narc Kenya and the Wiper party. 

The two parties have continually remained adamant not to join the proposed government of national unity pitched by Ruto following protests about the Finance Bill 2024.

In developing a wide-based government, Raila has remained quite distant from the vetting process while offering good wishes to the appointed ODM members. 

As much as we wish all the nominees well and expect them to make a positive contribution to national development, we still hold our stand that we want national engagement on terms we gave earlier, Raila said. 

He further wanted compensation for the families of the dead protesters, release of those protesting whom the police have kept in jail, and prosecution of police officers who shot at protesters.

Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, on his part, has never at any time been open to appointments into Ruto's new Cabinet, always terming it a "mirage". 

According to him, this would amount to things like betrayal, especially towards the youths. 

"As long as this Kenya Kwanza regime stays in power, nothing—absolutely nothing—is going to change," he said in a statement reaffirming his resolve to be on the side of the people against the regime.