The Kamba Community has threatened to withdraw its support for Raila Odinga if he does not support Kalonzo Musyoka for the presidency, according to Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti. The governor made the remarks during a public participation exercise in Kathiani Town on Tuesday, February 14, stating that the community was tired of supporting Raila every election period. “I am asking my party leader Kalonzo Musyoka without fear of contradiction that he must demand Raila supports him in 2027. Should Raila refuse, we will lead the whole community from withdrawing their support for the Azimio leader,” she threatened. Raila, on the other hand, revealed on December 28, 2022, that he was not yet ready to retire from politics and hand over the baton to Kalonzo who supported him in the 2013, 2017, and 2022 general elections.
Wavinya also reiterated the importance of Ukambani votes and said that the politics of the country could not be negotiated without factoring in the Kamba Community, which has numbers to determine the national political outcome. “With our numbers, it is sad to see some leaders having the audacity to mock us. They must style up and know that we are not ready to be misused,” she said. Kalonzo, while being cagey, revealed that he would not be willing to support Raila a fourth time, stating that he had ended up supporting Raila for the third time. “The fool in me ended up supporting Raila for the third time, but that fool is wiser now than he was then,” he remarked on January 4, 2023.
However, on whether he will vie for the presidency in 2027, he revealed, “We have not sat as a party. We are going to call an executive council meeting, look at all those issues and develop a consensus.” Mutula Kilonzo has refused to lead Makueni County in supporting demonstrations held by Azimio, and during a past interview, he stated that he would not go to the demonstrations until they get good roads, airports, and other projects that the Nyanza region received from former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s government. The governor has been conspicuously missing in Azimio rallies.
In a show of force, Wavinya’s sentiments come at a time when the Kamba community is seeking to consolidate their numbers ahead of the 2027 General Election. She threatened that they would lead the entire community in withdrawing their support for Raila Odinga, who has lost the presidential race three times in the past. The Kamba Community is also seeking to flex their muscles in the Azimio la Umoja movement, which has gained traction in recent months.
