Azimio Leaders React To Reports Of ODM Kicking Out Junet Mohamed

Azimio la Umoja leaders have rushed to the aid of National Assembly Minority Whip and Suna East Member of Parliament (MP) Junet Mohamed following reports that emerged that there were plans to kick him out of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party.

According to the reports, the vocal lawmaker who enjoyed privileges for being an ardent loyalist to the party leader Raila Odinga was served with a show-cause letter seeking an explanation on why he was not involved in the activities of not only ODM but the larger Azimio La Umoja coalition.

A local daily had further reported that should Mohamed not justify his absence, he would be stripped of leadership roles in the party.

Besides being the Minority Whip, he serves as Azimio La Umoja's secretary general and ODM's director of campaigns and parliamentary affairs.

The party had claimed that Junet's non-involvement in party activities threatened its objectives and agenda.

However, led by ODM Deputy Party Leader Hassan Joho, Azimio politicians complained that Junet was being victimised after extensively campaigning for Raila Odinga during the 2022 presidential elections.

“Completely unnecessary and uncalled for,” the former Mombasa Governor posed.

Backing him up was Makau Mutua, who was head of Raila’s presidential secretariat, who stated, “No truer words have ever been spoken. Kenya does not have a finer patriot than Junet Mohammed.”

Caleb Amisi, Saboti MP who is vocal on the party matters and generally other issues of national importance, and was elected for a second term on the ODM ticket, argued that Junet sacrificed so much for Raila's well-being politically.

"Whoever is sponsoring such nonsense is unfair to the party and is not a leader but a goon. The work Junet Mohamed did for Baba (Raila) very few can do. If you are a top leader who served with Junet and you believe he spoiled campaigns as you watched, why didn't you raise the matter then? Why now?

"If we are cleaning the Raila team, then it must be the entire team of lazy men and women who think power is given. You were all supposed to help him win. You all failed. Stop sacrificing Junet or tell us which mistake he made," he said.

Narok Senator, Ledama Ole Kina, also wondered why his party was reportedly taking such a drastic action, questioning the end game and why the opposition party was not channelling such energy into building the political outfit.

Junet and Joho were key figures in Raila's political campaign but kept their distance from the public eye following Raila's loss.

Neither ODM nor Raila had yet to officially comment on the matter by the time of publishing this article.