Political activist Boniface Mwangi has opened up on how the Azimio Coalition’s laxity led to the loss the August 9 presidential election.
Activist Boniface Mwangi spills beans on how Azimio secretariat's laxity led to August 9 loss
Boniface Mwangi said the Azimio coalition was set up for failure which they could have avoided
Activist Boniface Mwangi
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According to Mwangi, President Uhuru Kenyatta set the Azimio flagbearer for failure as the president’s secretariat gave the Odinga and Karua false details regarding the progress of the election.
Additionally, Mwangi said that Odinga and Karua got constant assurances even when tallying was going on that they had taken victory home.
Mwangi in his statement said that the Azimio Coalition did not protect its agents at the polling stations noting that their relaxation led to the compromise of their agents and even the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
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Kenyan artist and award-winning photojournalist Boniface Mwangi
Pulse Live Kenya
“We assumed the victory was ours because President Uhuru Kenyatta endorsed and actively campaigned for Raila and Martha. We failed to do the hard work of strategizing, organizing and mobilizing our base to come out and vote. We failed to protect our agents from the temptation of easy bribes from our opponents. We had too much that the IEBC would conduct a free, fair and credible elections,” he stated.
Mwangi said that his confident posts of them having won came from calls from the Azimio secretariat which indicated that they had won. Mwangi adding that the meeting at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) where Karua exuded confidence in victory was based off numbers from the Azimio secretariat.
“Throughout the entire week, even as Kenya Kwanza shared their numbers, Raila and Martha were given numbers from Azimio’s secretariat that assured them they had won. I couldn't imagine that lies would come from a secretariat where the chairman of the coalition was the sitting President of Kenya. My very boisterous posts were based on these assurances," Mwangi wrote.
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Senior Counsel Martha Karua with former Prime Minister Raila Odinga on August 31, 2022
Pulse Live Kenya
Mwangi said he now believes that the information he was fed with was all misleading and that the Azimio Coalition was set for failure questioning whether the plot had been planned all along.
"Once again, I was vocal about how we had won. I believed the said evidence. Martha also believed them. Everything I posted was based on the information that was availed to us. Looking back, it is now obvious that we were fed with misleading information, up until the very last minute. The question arises: was this a long con?" Mwangi retorted.
The activist however said there was still hope of proper leadership as Azimio holds control of 23 of the 47 counties and has a majority in parliament.
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He also urged Raila to set up the Raila Odinga Leadership Centre to train and prepare the next generation of leaders that can transform the country.
File image of Professor Makau Mutua with Raila Odinga
Pulse Live Kenya
Mwangi said Raila was an inspiration to Kenya and can inspire a new generation of active citizens to hold all duty bearers to account and demand transparency, and integrity.
"6.9 million Kenyans, who voted for Raila, are hurting and they need direction. Some 8 million Kenyans, mostly young people, did not vote in this election. That's more than those who voted for either Raila or Ruto.
If galvanized, this could be the “Third Force”. I look forward to being part of this movement, the one that will hold Ruto’s government accountable for every campaign promise he made," Mwangi stated
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Mwangi said the perception that Azimio are enemies of the state was wrong and President elect Wlliam Ruto was responsible for all Kenyans
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