Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has directed his MPs to reject the four ODM cabinet nominees that President William Ruto picked last week.
Musyoka said that the nomination of the four ODM leaders was a betrayal to Kenyans and to the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition.
The Wiper leader, speaking during a church service in Mwingi North on Sunday, argued that the nomination of the four leaders was also done without consultation and the input of other Azimio leaders.
“I have directed the Wiper Party MPs that those four names when they come to Parliament for vetting, Wiper members should vote ‘No’,” Kalonzo said.
President William Ruto on Wednesday last week, named four members of the Orange Democratic Movement as part of his new cabinet.
They are Hassan Joho (Ministry of Mining, Blue Economy), Wycliffe Oparanya (Cooperatives and MSME Development), John Mbadi (National Treasury) and Opiyo Wandayi who was handed the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum.
However, ODM secretary-general Edwin Sifuna later disowned the nominations insisting that the four accepted the slots in their capacities and that the party was not consulted.
“The truth of the matter is that there is no decision of any organ of ODM that I sit in to join the Ruto government,” Sifuna said.
ODM leader Raila Odinga would later back the claims saying he had no hand in picking the nominees, further stating that it went against his expectations.
But in his statement, Musyoka also challenged ODM MPs to follow suit in rejecting the four nominees if indeed their nomination to cabinet was done against the wishes of the party.
“If the ODM MPs will vote yes to accept the CSs, then Kenyans will believe that they were lied to,” he said.
“We want to see in ODM, the proof of the pudding that is in the eating. When the time comes for vetting CSs, how their MPs will vote,” he added.
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As a co-principal in the Azimio coalition, Kalonzo said he was neither aware nor consulted on the nominations.
Musyoka has on several occasions maintained his stance on not working with President William Ruto.
The Wiper party leader said that he will stand with the Gen Zs and what they are fighting for.
He had previously said that leaders have only two options, either standing with Gen Z or joining the government.
Ruto has defended the inclusion of Opposition leaders in his new cabinet saying the formation of a broad-based government aims at enhancing peace and unity in the country.
“I can’t run this government alone. Yesterday, I nominated some CSs to form the cabinet. I want to ask Mombasa residents to allow Hassan Joho to work in the cabinet,” Ruto said Thursday last week.
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