By Anderson Ojwang
Pressure is mounting on National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohammed after a section of parties allied to the Azimio La Umoja coalition demanded his immediate resignation from all coalition leadership positions.
Junet, who also serves as Azimio’s Secretary General, is facing renewed accusations over the management of the 2022 presidential campaign of the late Azimio flagbearer Raila Odinga, placing him at the centre of an intensifying internal storm within the opposition alliance.
Even within his political base in Nyanza and inside the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), where he is the Director of Elections, cracks have begun to show, with some leaders openly questioning his continued hold on key party positions.
Speaking at a press conference, Liberal Party leader Augustine Muli accused Junet of bungling the 2022 presidential campaign and called for his resignation as Minority Leader and Azimio Secretary General.
“We, as Azimio La Umoja affiliate parties, demand the immediate resignation of Junet Mohammed from all Azimio leadership positions, including Secretary General and Minority Leader in the National Assembly,” Muli said.
Muli also faulted Junet for his recent remarks against former President Uhuru Kenyatta, terming them reckless and unfounded.
“We are concerned by Junet’s reckless utterances that unfairly slander former President Uhuru Kenyatta. We want it on record that Uhuru served this country with dignity,” he added.
The Azimio leaders further accused Junet of mismanaging funds meant for paying presidential election agents in Central Kenya, a claim that has resurfaced repeatedly since the 2022 elections.
Earlier, Uriri MP Mark Nyamita had demanded Junet’s resignation as ODM Director of Elections, arguing that political accountability required him to step aside after the coalition lost the presidency.
“In a mature democracy, when you are the director of campaigns and director of elections and you fail, the honourable thing to do is to resign,” Nyamita said.
Nyamita blamed Junet for what he described as the bungling of Raila Odinga’s presidential bid and warned against allowing him to continue influencing community politics.
Similar sentiments were echoed by ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, who publicly accused Junet of misappropriating funds meant to pay agents in Central Kenya.
“You were eating Uhuru’s money instead of paying agents and allowed Rigathi Gachagua and William Ruto to defeat us. The day we audit the 2022 elections, everyone must account for their role,” Sifuna said.
Members of the Azimio La Umoja Volunteer Board also weighed in, with board member Ronny Raburu accusing Junet of failing to act decisively despite being tasked by Raila Odinga to resolve the agents’ crisis in Central Kenya days to the polls.
Raburu said that during the final agents’ training at the Kenya School of Law in Karen, it emerged that there were virtually no agents deployed across Central Kenya polling stations, raising alarm within the campaign.
“Raila personally instructed Junet to handle the matter urgently. He gave me his number and asked me to call him later that day, but to date he has never picked my calls,” Raburu claimed.
Junet has strongly denied the allegations, instead shifting blame to former President Uhuru Kenyatta, whom he accused of bypassing the Azimio secretariat in the disbursement of agents’ funds.
“The facts are simple and verifiable. Former President Uhuru Kenyatta released the funds meant for election agents to his brother, Muhoho Kenyatta, and not to the Azimio secretariat,” Junet said.
According to Junet, Muhoho Kenyatta appointed a Patrick Mburu to oversee the recruitment and payment of agents, claiming the process was run from a highly restricted office in Westlands.
“It is from that office—out of bounds even to Raila Odinga—that they claimed to manage agents’ payments and logistics. These are facts, not conjecture. I challenge Uhuru Kenyatta and Muhoho Kenyatta to publicly deny them,” Junet added.
As Azimio navigates the post–Raila Odinga political transition, questions remain whether Junet Mohammed can withstand the growing rebellion within the coalition and retain his grip on its powerful offices ahead of future party nominations.
