Wiper picks Mutula Jnr for Makueni Senate race
Cord leader Raila Odinga (left) with Makueni senate aspirant Mutula Kilonzo Jnr and Wiper boss Kalonzo Musyoka in Nairobi on Friday. The coalition nominated Mr Kilonzo after his sister Kethi was locked out for not being a registered voter. Photo/EMMA NZIOKA
What you need to know:
- Hours after judges upheld IEBC decision to block Kethi Kilonzo from running in the Makueni Senate by-election, Raila and Kalonzo turn to her brother and accuse courts of favouring President Kenyatta’s Jubilee coalition
- Cord to hold rally in Wote this morning, promises a week-long campaign to retain post
A son of former Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo — Mutula Kilonzo Jnr — was on Friday hurriedly brought in as the Cord candidate for Friday’s Makueni Senate by-election after his sister Kethi was locked out by the courts.
The Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (Cord) rejoined the race for the seat after its top leadership endorsed Mutula Kilonzo Jnr to vie for the seat.
Former Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga literally went hunting for Kilonzo Jnr after his sister Kethi Kilonzo was locked out of the race after the court found that she was not a registered voter.
Mr Musyoka, who is the leader of the Wiper Democratic Party (WDP), and Mr Odinga met Kilonzo Jnr at the Cord leader’s offices to discuss his candidature before they verified his voter registration status.
The Cord leaders, who included Senators David Musila (Kitui), James Orengo (Siaya), Johnstone Muthama (Machakos), several MPs and WDP officials, dropped other options after Kilonzo Jnr agreed to contest on a Wiper ticket.
They quickly sent a team to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) offices to verify Kilonzo Jnr’s registration status.
“We have taken all the necessary precautions. We have visited the IEBC and we have a letter from the chairman, Mr Ahmed Issack Hassan, confirming that Mr Kilonzo is duly registered, so there will be no more monkey business,” said Mr Musila, who is also the WDP chairman.
Mr Kilonzo Jnr accepted his nomination and urged the people of Makueni to stand with him on election day, on July 26.
He said: “I want to say without any fear of contradiction that I am ready for this. We are appealing to the IEBC to allow free and fair elections so that the people of Makueni can choose their preferred leader.”
He will now battle seasoned politicians Haroun Mwau (PICK), Philip Kaloki (Narc), Jane Kitundu (Labour Party of Kenya) and Urbanus Muthoka (an independent candidate) in the race to replace his father, who died on April 27.
Today, Mr Musyoka and Mr Odinga will lead Cord leaders to Wote Town in Makueni where they will officially announce their new WDP candidate after the presentation of papers to the IEBC.
Addressing the media at the Serena Hotel where his party announced its new candidate, Mr Musyoka accused the Jubilee Government of introducing what he termed “underhand tactics” in Makueni politics to defeat democracy.
He also claimed that oppressive systems used by previous regimes were quickly being reintroduced in the country to undermine multipartyism.
“Truly democracy is on trial. Please don’t take us back to 1970. We will not, as Cord, accept to take any reversal of gains already made in terms of putting proper democratic tenets in place,” he said.
He cited the summoning by the CID of Mr Odinga’s aide, Mr Eliud Owallo, and the Kethi case as signs of emerging repression.
Mr Musyoka was confident his party would clinch the Makueni Senate seat and called on voters to support Mr Kilonzo Jnr.
“We are going for nothing but a straight win. Even though we know that it is only a week to elections and that even campaign posters for our candidate have not been printed, victory will be ours,” he declared.
He also urged the government to leave Kethi alone, arguing that she should not be crucified and her freedom put in jeopardy because of mistakes committed by the electoral agency.
Mr Odinga praised Mr Kilonzo Jnr for accepting to be the Cord candidate and asked all the coalition’s supporters and Makueni voters to stand with him ahead of next Friday’s by-election.
Mr Odinga also praised Kethi for her outstanding courage, fortitude and resilience during the presidential election petition in April that catapulted her to fame and during her own case.
The Cord leader called for peaceful campaigns and asked their Jubilee counterparts not to engage in electoral malpractices that could obstruct the delivery of free and fair elections in Makueni.
“We are not going to Makueni with clubs, sticks or guns. We want peaceful elections and therefore we are going there to sweet talk the voters. We want to tell our opponents not to bring violence to Makueni. We do not want them to come there to bribe voters. We know they thrive in bribery,” Mr Odinga stated.
The coalition had last week raised Sh9 million to spend on the Kethi campaign but the funds will now be used to finance Mr Kilonzo Jnr’s one-week drive to become the second Makueni senator.
