Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka announced Andrew Leteipa Ole Sunkuli as his running mate on May 16, 2022.
To many, the announcement came as a surprise since Kalonzo had vowed to back ODM leader Raila Odinga’s presidential candidature in the coming general elections.
Sunkuli was Wiper’s candidate for the Narok senatorial seat just before there was a change of plan.
He however can not explain how Kalonzo settled on him to be his running mate but on the day he was informed about the change of plan, he had just come from campaigning in Narok.
“I don’t know how he ended up picking me but I know how he communicated that to me. It was Saturday 14th of this month and I was in Narok doing what I normally do. I was a candidate for the senatorship of Narok county so I was out there in the field, got back to Nairobi and feeling tired after an eventful two days and I decided that I was going to rest the rest of the evening so I switched all of my phones,” he said in an interview with Citizen TV.
Sunkuli did not want any disturbances during the three-hour rest. When he checked his phones after waking up at around 7, a lot of people had tried to contact him with his wife, who was away from home, saying that Kalonzo was looking for him.
He was going to host Kalonzo in Narok in two days time and he thought maybe that was why the Wiper leader was seeking him.
“I thought maybe he wanted to make changes to the programme but the sheer intensity of the calls, that couldn’t have been the subject matter,” Sunkuli said.
He decided to look for Kalonzo because the matter seemed urgent and found him at his home.
“After the usual pleasantries, he broke the news to me and he said you know what I am in this race and I have decided that you are going to be my running mate. He told me there is a time you choose between a job and a country and I said I would choose a country anytime,” Sunkuli recalled.
At that instance, he agreed to be Kalonzo’s running mate thus foregoing his senatorial ambitions.
Sunkuli however asked Kalonzo why he chose him but he never fully answered his question.
The two have known each other for over 10 years while their wives have been friends even longer.
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