Junet scrambles to retain political standing after Azimio shake-up

Suna East MP Junet Mohammed has reaped heavily from political patronage since joining parliament in 2013 through a controversial nomination process, courtesy of the goodwill he enjoyed from the now-deceased ODM party leader Raila Odinga, but his political future now looks bleak.

He has to not only reckon with the fact that Raila is no longer there to keep him under his wings, but also to deal with the many enemies he has made both within and outside the opposition because of his abrasiveness and loose tongue.

First, his position as the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition Secretary General is under serious threat, after the party removed him through leadership changes last week, which, by extension, means he will also lose the position of Leader of the Minority in the National Assembly.

On Friday, the Registrar of Political Parties, John Cox Lonoriokou, told The Standard that Junet and others affected by the changes had formally protested their removal, and the changes will, therefore, not be effected.

“We have advised the affected parties to resolve their differences through an internal dispute resolution mechanism, because of the complaints raised by those who were removed from those positions,” said Lonoriokou.

Political analyst Martin Andati expects Uhuru, in his capacity as Azimio chairman, to set up a disputes resolution committee to summon Junet. He will then be grilled on his loud disassociation with Azimio and repeated allegiance to President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza alliance.

“He will have to face the committee once he is summoned through media notices or any other avenue. If he declines to appear, then they will go ahead to effect his removal and inform the ORPP accordingly,” says Andati.

Uhuru Kenyatta picked Wiper Patriotic Front leader Kalonzo Musyoka to replace Raila as party leader and Suba South MP Caroli Omondi as Secretary General.

Caroli now says Azimio will hold a Parliamentary Group meeting to take stock of its performance in the National Assembly and the Senate in the last three years, which will be his first assignment after replacing Junet as the coalition’s Secretary General.

Omondi said the coalition will also be giving priority to people-centred issues as both houses resume sittings from the long recess, and that he will give his best in championing issues affecting members of the public, calling for the support of all members to achieve this crucial goal.

“Members of parliament from the Azimio Coalition have embraced the changes that were made in our leadership and are ready to champion the interests of the public as they resume sittings after a two-month break, as we are entering the final phase of our term before the general election,” said Omondi.

Heated rivalry

The Suba South MP said the Azimio Parliamentary Group meeting will take stock of its leadership in both houses and see if it has lived according to its mandate, and if not, they may have to make changes, which is likely to intensify political rivalry among the various camps.

The ODM Party is also now fighting to save Junet, stating that Party Leader Oburu Oginga was neither consulted nor informed, nor involved in the purported changes in Azimio; consequently, the meeting and its resolution were in contravention of the express provisions of the deed of agreement.

In a letter to the Registrar of Political Parties John Lonoriokou, ODM Executive Director Oduor Ongwen requested the office to suspend and freeze any action arising from the said meeting pending strict compliance with the deed of agreement, and declared any such action null and void.

“The Azimio Coalition Council is comprised of 11 members and the Secretary General of the party, representing the secretariat appointed by the party leaders of the coalition constituent parties. The appointment and removal of members of the coalition council and the Secretary General is the reserve of the party leaders of the coalition,” said Ongwen.

The new Azimio Executive Director does not see Junet surviving, because his goose was cooked after he entered into “a come-we-stay marriage” with President Ruto and Kenya Kwanza through the broad-based government.

Andati also thinks ODM wants it both ways by remaining in Azimio to preserve their minority position in parliament, while also enjoying the trappings of power in the broad-based government.

“That is political dishonesty, but President Ruto may also want to maintain the current informal MoU with ODM until next year, so that he can manipulate and play around with both sides and continue disorganising the opposition,” says Andati.

Junet’s support for the proponents of the ODM cooperation with President William Ruto and his UDA party in the broad-based government is also putting him at loggerheads with those opposed to it.

Omondi says the rift between him and Junet started just after the broad-based government was formed, when he went to State House and was talking to the head of civil service Felix Koskei, when Junet came in.

“Junet got angry and asked how I got there without his blessings. I told him we were discussing important things and would call him later, but Junet got so enraged and started talking about how he was the kingpin and that any Luo leader must pass by his office to get to State House,” said Omondi.

After engaging in recent fiery exchanges with Secretary General Edwin Sifuna and receiving heavy backlash from party supporters and other party leaders, the man who also serves as Leader of the Minority appears to have beaten a hasty retreat from the public eye.

Controversy has followed the three-term MP since 2013, when he first sought the ODM ticket to vie for the Suna East seat, against incumbent John Pesa.

Court documents show that a dispute arose after Pesa challenged the certificate Junet was claiming to have been given by the party, yet he had allegedly been given the genuine document.

Public retreat

Pesa filed a petition before the Kisii High Court in January 2013 seeking to have the nomination certificate dated January 18, 2013, issued to him by ODM Party to contest for the seat, declared as the only valid and lawful one.

Appearing before Justice Ruth Sitati, Pesa pleaded: “I’m praying for this court to order a judicial review to compel the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and the Returning Officer for Suna East Constituency to accept the nomination papers I have presented and issue a certificate in my favour for the purposes of contesting the seat.”

The argument was supported by senior officials at the ODM Elections Board, led by Secretary Judy Pareno, who confirmed through an affidavit that the party had conducted a nomination exercise on January 17, 2013 and declared John Pesa as the National Assembly nominee for Suna East Constituency. “ODM Party prepared and issued a valid nomination certificate dated January 18, 2013, signed by officials Franklin Bett, Janet Ongera and myself, in line with the Political Parties Act, to John Pesa as the candidate for Suna East,” Pareno stated.

She further said the party expected the IEBC Returning Officer to clear Pesa as the duly nominated candidate for the 2013 general election. He told the court that ODM did not issue any nomination certificate to Junet, and that any certificate presented by him was forged and should have been investigated.

Raila wave

Pesa appeared before the Returning Officer on January 31, 2013 with nomination papers issued by the IEBC and ODM, but was refused, with the officer claiming Junet was the nominated candidate.

The IEBC argued that any judicial review sought by Pesa had been overtaken by events and would be rendered moot. They also argued that Pesa had not demonstrated that Junet’s nomination was flawed.

Lady Justice Ruth Sitati ruled that Pesa had not exhausted the internal party dispute resolution mechanism and therefore the petition was prematurely brought before the court.

This is how Junet secured the ODM ticket in a Luo Nyanza constituency and won, largely due to the wave of support for the now-deceased Raila Odinga.

Once in parliament, Junet quickly allied himself with Raila, frequently issuing press statements supporting the party and its leadership. He also became a reliable source for the media as a prominent voice of the opposition.

Political pundits now believe Junet’s career could be coming to a screeching halt, and he may not even seek re-election in 2027, due to backlash from voters in Migori and the absence of Raila’s patronage.