Azimio la Umoja - One Kenya coalition co-principal, Martha Karua, has expressed her displeasure after Kalonzo Musyoka poured cold water on the success of the recently unveiled Mount Kenya political group dubbed 'Kamwene'.

Kalonzo, in an interview with a local TV station on Tuesday night, termed 'Kamwene' as a terrible political idea that was 'dead on arrival'.

The Wiper party leader urged the leaders comprising Karua and several politicians allied to the Azimio camp to dissolve the group and focus on making the opposition coalition stronger ahead of the 2027 general election.

"I don't want to pass judgment on that issue but have you heard of things like dead on arrival? This thing means individualism. It's a terrible political philosophy. I would advise my friends to leave it and we stick together in Azimio," Kalonzo stated.

In a swift rejoinder, Karua alluded that the former vice president, who is eyeing the presidential seat in 2027 on an Azimio ticket, was scared of the Kamwene group.

"What about Kamwene scares my brother @skmusyoka that he must drag it in every conversation he has ?" Karua posed in a post shared on her official X account.

Other founding members of the Kamwene Leadership Forum include Jubilee Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni, former governors Ndiritu Muriithi (Laikipia) and Peter Munya (Meru), and university don Gitile Naituli.

Karua and Kioni formally unveiled the Kamwene caucus in October last year to champion the interests of the vote-rich Mt Kenya region.

The formation of the new political movement lent some credence to possible differences within the Azimio coalition but the politicians were quick to dismiss the claims.

"It does not mean we are not in Azimio, if we weren't we would say it without beating around the bush. You saw us speak as Azimio, today we are here speaking as Kamwene, tomorrow I will speak as Narc-Kenya, all these are spaces we occupy," Karua said.

Kamwene has been in the spotlight in recent weeks after Karua rejected the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) report.

The committee co-chaired by Kalonzo and National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wah was formed to mediate a protracted dispute between the opposition and the Kenya Kwanza administration that saw the coalition leader Raila Odinga call for weekly street protests.

Karua said the committee had not adequately addressed the issue of cost of living that formed the basis of the talks.

The Narc Kenya leader's move to differ with Raila on the committee's report sparked speculations of her looming walkout from the opposition coalition. She, however, ruled out the possibility of her bolting out of the coalition.