Kalonzo painfully recalls night Raila picked Karua over him as running mate
Wiper and One Kenya Alliance leader Kalonzo Musyoka has opened up about what he describes as one of the most painful nights of his political career—the evening he learned that Raila Odinga had dropped him as a running mate in favour of Martha Karua ahead of the 2022 General Election.
According to Kalonzo, the announcement was delivered to him personally at his Karen home, where Raila arrived accompanied by National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohammed, he said in a YouTube interview on Wednesday, September 10, 2025.
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The two had gone to break the news that Raila would move forward with Karua, leader of the NARC-Kenya party, as his deputy pick under the Azimio la Umoja coalition.
“So Raila came, sat at the fireplace, and told me, ‘My brother Steve, nimeangalia hii maneno. I have just come from a place where professionals have said that the mountain will be very excited with Martha’s candidature and the NGOs and civil groups will be excited,” Kalonzo recalled during a recent address.
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He described the moment as deeply disappointing, saying he turned to Raila and told him bluntly: “I now believe why Kenyans say you will never be president.”
Kalonzo felt betrayed by Raila
Kalonzo went on to argue that the decision to replace him was not only a personal betrayal but also a political miscalculation.
He reminded Raila that in 2013, when they first contested together, and again in 2017, they had come close to unseating former President Uhuru Kenyatta. With Uhuru later backing Raila during the 2022 elections, Kalonzo felt there was an even stronger case for maintaining their long-standing partnership.
By choosing Karua, he insisted, Raila had overlooked the value of consistency and loyalty in favour of a gamble that did not pay off.
Kalonzo admitted that at first, he rejected the offer to remain within the coalition and instead declared that he would pursue the presidency on his own.
However, after weeks of pressure and consultations with his party, he eventually softened his stance and rejoined Azimio, accepting the painful decision even though he disagreed with it.
