Tensions have risen within the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya coalition after a group of member parties rejected leadership changes announced by the coalition chair, saying the decisions lack legal standing and consultation.
In a letter sent Wednesday to the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties, the parties, including the National Liberal Party and the United Democratic Party, stated they would not recognise the new appointments and threatened to challenge them in court.
The group argued that the process violated the coalition’s principles of transparency, inclusivity and accountability, leaving smaller parties sidelined in key decisions.
The disputed moves, announced by the Azimio Coalition Party Council led by former President Uhuru Kenyatta, named Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka as Party Leader following the death of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga in October 2025. House Minority Leader Junet Mohamed was removed as Secretary General, with Suba South MP Caroli Omondi appointed in his place. Former Nairobi Town Clerk Philip Kisia was named Executive Director.
“The above actions go against the founding principles of inclusivity, transparency and accountability that Azimio espouses,” the parties said in their letter to the Registrar.
They warned that if the changes proceed, they would seek judicial intervention.
“We reject in totality the resolutions submitted to your office and caution you from further processing the illegal, null and void resolutions, failure to which we shall seek legal redress in a competent court of law,” the letter reads.
The parties also demanded access to key coalition documents, including the Azimio Coalition Deed of Agreement, the coalition’s registered membership as of February 1, 2026, minutes of the February 2 meeting, statutory Form PP7 on the change of officials, and the attendance list.
The objections follow a petition filed a day earlier by the National Liberal Party, which requested clarity on the coalition’s legal status, leadership structure, finances, and membership amid growing operational paralysis.
NLP leader Augustus Muli accused some dominant partners of hoarding coalition funds while smaller parties struggle to meet operational costs, warning that this could lead to deregistration of weaker affiliates.
“As parties languish and face deregistration because of the cost of recruitment and running offices, some partner parties are hoarding millions of shillings in banks courtesy of our coalition,” Muli said.
He added that the coalition’s operations have been stalled by internal disputes, pointing to delays that followed the 2022 IEBC panel election dispute, which took eight months to resolve in court.
NLP Secretary General Ishmael Omondi Koyoo said coalitions must remain legally compliant, transparent, and accountable.
“Coalitions are living agreements, not tombstones,” Koyoo said, highlighting the lack of functional leadership, administrative structures, and the reluctance of dominant parties to hold internal elections.
Financial transparency remains a major concern, with the NLP seeking details on funds from the Political Parties Fund connected to the 6.9 million votes Azimio received in the 2022 presidential race.
The dispute has been further compounded by the resignation of Azimio Executive Director Raphael Tuju, exposing leadership gaps at a critical time for the opposition.
Azimio, which united 26 registered political parties ahead of the 2022 general election, initially held a parliamentary majority but has since seen defections to the ruling Kenya Kwanza alliance.
The disagreement now sets the stage for a potential legal showdown that could delay the coalition’s leadership restructuring and test the robustness of Kenya’s coalition party framework.
