In place of Wiper’s Kalonzo Musyoka, Azimio has chosen Kenneth Marende as his choice for the job of Speaker of the National Assembly.
According to media sources, Junet Mohamed, the secretary general of Azimio, made the statement public, noting that a number of parties were consulted before a decision was taken.
According to Junet, the coalition made the decision to support a proven candidate in order to compete against Moses Wetangula of Kenya Kwanza. Junet defended the choice by pointing out that the Azimio coalition had held its cards close to its breast in an effort to outsmart its political rivals.
“Azimio coalition has decided to front Marende as our candidate for the National Assembly speaker. We have decided to go for someone who has been tried and tested, someone who understands the operations of Parliament.”
“We are going to formally communicate this to all our members by Monday. All the coalition partners including Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka are in agreement,” Junet told Nation.Africa
Marende, who affirmed that he had been informed of the decision, noted that he was up to the task to serve in his best capacity.
“If you ask me my level of confidence in terms of competency and capacity to serve, I am 100 percent. I have served in the office before and the jury is out there on my performance,” Marende stated.
Other leaders from the Azimio faction seeking positions include ODM chairman John Mbadi and Ugunja MP-elect Opiyo Wandayi who both seek the majority leader position in the National Assembly.
