Parties take campaigns to Western

ODM and the UDF are headed for another showdown this weekend when the two parties hold rallies in Western Province.

And on Wednesday, ODM was compelled to revise its schedule after being locked out of Muliro Gardens in Kakamega town where they had planned to hold a rally on Saturday.

The parties were fighting over the venue, but the local authority said that UDF had booked the grounds first.

This will be the third time in a month that Prime Minister Raila Odinga, the ODM party leader, and his deputy Musalia Mudavadi, who defected to UDF, head to the same region to hold rallies.

ODM county organising secretary David Malala had accused Kakamega mayor Mattias Sichere, an ally of Mr Mudavadi, of attempting to scuttle the planned Orange party meeting.

In Nairobi, Orange House released the PM’s itinerary, showing that he will address a rally in Busia Town on Saturday before holding another at the Muliro Gardens on Sunday.

On his part, Mr Mudavadi is scheduled to attend the Sabatia and Mumias Education Day on Friday before hosting a leaders’ meeting on Saturday at Muliro Gardens.

Mr Mudavadi’s spokesman Kibisu Kabatesi said his boss would be in Kisii on Sunday for the Seventh Day Adventists Church centenary celebrations.

However, Mr Kabatesi expressed concern that ODM could be “stalking” UDF with an aim of provoking them and causing violence.

“My appeal to the people of Western is to behave in a civil manner. They should not succumb to provocation,” Mr Kabatesi said.

Western is perceived to be Mr Mudavadi’s stronghold although a majority of ODM MPs from the region have stuck with Mr Odinga.

This weekend’s events come after ODM and UDF held parallel rallies at the Coast last weekend.

It also comes weeks after Mr Odinga and Mr Mudavadi’s supporters clashed at a funeral Vihiga county.