After being outsmarted by Third Way Alliance leader Ekuru Aukot on constitutional referendum drive ahead of 2022 election, President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raola Odinga may find themselves in a tricky political situation going forward.
On Thursday, Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission chairman Wafula Chebukati gave Dr.Aukot a nod after submitting over 1 million signatures to pave way for a referendum under his "Punguza Mzigo" initiative. However, the move caught Uhuru and Raila flat-footed.
In several functions and rallies, the former Prime Minister had insisted that the country will hold a plebscite before the next poll.
On his side, Uhuru has sent out mixed signals on the need to amend the constitution. However, he haa not come out clearly to declare his stand. So what next for the duo? Is Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho their savior?
The only way to avoid stop the Aukot-backed referendum is to ensure that it does not sail through in the 47 county assemblies where it must get backing from at least 24 counties.
The next step that Raila and Uhuru should take is to ensure that county assemblies are lobbied to reject the referendum drive by Dr. Aukot.
And this is where Joho becomes an asset. Using his oratory and popularity across most of the counties, Joho can be used by the 'handshake' masterminds to block the referendum which is not capturing some issues which Raila and Uhuru want to be addressed.
If not, Raila and Uhuru may suffer their first political defeat since the 2018 handshake. And for Joho, the time for him to show his political mettle is now.