Opposition principals at a past rally. PHOTO/the-star.co.ke
The NASA coalition is threatened by a premature break-up after there emerged sharp differences among the affiliate parties.
The constituent parties are still battling out on the most appropriate way to head into the primaries with some having hard stances.
Officials of ODM, ANC, Wiper and Ford Kenya have strongly clashed over the method to approach primaries and nominations and the latter three claim ODM is planning to benefit greatly from the plan.
With its strong countrywide presence, ODM is backing joint primaries within NASA with candidates from all parties making to a single slate.
But the other three parties are for the idea that individual parties should field their respective aspirants without restriction.
ODM is said to be in fear of losing majority of seats to co-parties since the party lost a number of key political figures who decamped to Wiper, ANC and Ford Kenya.
Still, some ODM kingpins such Kakamega governor Wycliffe Oparanya and Mombasa's Hassan Joho are facing stiff reelection chances with NASA counterparts giving them restless time.
On Wednesday Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka said affiliate party members were to be allowed run for any seat as they want.
"We want to give everyone a chance to present themselves to the people," Kalonzo said as quoted by the Nation.
ANC secretary general Geoffrey Osotsi has also raised concerns over the nomination rules the coalition is said to have drafted.
“We are not aware of such rules for the coalition,” he said.
“As ANC, we’re agreed to field candidates for all elective positions, except where we have a mutual agreement,” he added as quoted by the Star.
“We expected NASA's National Coordinating Committee to bring the nomination rules back to affiliate parties for approval by party national executive committees before presenting them to the registrar — but they never came back," Osotsi was further quoted.
But ODM Deputy party leader and Kakamega governor Wycliffe Oparanya insists that some parties can never be trusted with the task of free and fair individual nominations.
"A joint exercise will give the opposition one candidate to face Jubilee, but some partners are reluctant," he said.
"If we have never had proper nominations, why can't we try it this time? Let us try and improve our processes instead of running parallel nominations," he added.
This sharp contrast is now threatening to dismantle the earlier declarations of unity and scuttle the parties each on their own in a case that might hand Jubilee clear victory.