The Azimio la Umoja coalition stands at a precipice. The debate over its leadership change is not merely a squabble over who sits at the head of the table; it is a stress test for the very concept of coalition governance in Kenya. If the coalition cannot respect its own governing framework, it has no business asking to govern the nation.

The argument posited by Okango strikes at the heart of Kenya`s political malaise: the personalization of power. For decades, our political vehicles have been little more than personal property, owned and operated by "Big Men" who discard them when they are no longer useful. Azimio was promised to be different. It was sold as a broad-based movement, a coalition of the willing bound by shared ideals. Now, as the winds of succession blow, the coalition faces a defining choice: adhere to the rule of law (its own constitution) or revert to the rule of men.

The Constitutional Test

A change in leadership within such a massive political entity cannot be a roadside declaration. It must be a procedural event, guided by the instruments that created the coalition. The governing framework is not a suggestion; it is the contract that binds the partner parties together. To ignore it in favor of political expediency is to betray the trust of the millions of Kenyans who voted for the coalition, not just its individual leaders.

The tensions are visible. With Raila Odinga’s potential exit to the African Union Commission, the vacuum at the top is creating a vortex of ambition. Kalonzo Musyoka, Martha Karua, and others are jockeying for position. This is natural in politics. What is unnatural—and dangerous—is the attempt to bypass the agreed-upon mechanisms for dispute resolution and succession. If Azimio implodes, it will not be because of external pressure from the Kenya Kwanza government; it will be because it failed to institutionalize itself.

• The Danger of unilateralism: Any attempt to impose a leader without the unanimous consent required by the coalition agreement will lead to a fracture. The "junior" partners are watching closely. They did not sign up to be spectators in a monarchy; they signed up as partners in a democracy.
• A Precedent for the Nation: How Azimio handles this transition is a microcosm of how they would handle the country. If they cannot follow their own rules when the stakes are relatively low (party leadership), how can they be trusted to uphold the Constitution of Kenya when the stakes are high?

The Verdict

The issue transcends Azimio. It is about the maturation of our democracy. We must move away from the era of political chieftains and toward an era of political institutions. Okango’s warning is clear: abide by the framework, or prepare for oblivion. The coalition must prove that it is bigger than the sum of its parts, and certainly bigger than the ego of any single politician.