Leave us alone, Tana River Wiper defectors tell Kalonzo

Leaders from Tana River who recently defected from the Wiper Democratic Movement to the Jubilee Party have rebuked party leader Kalonzo Musyoka over his outburst following their defection.

Governor Hussein Dado has told Mr Musyoka to blame himself for the apparent downfall of his party, which he said started with the defection of Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua and several MPs from his Ukambani backyard.

Addressing Tana River residents living in Mombasa at KPA Mbaraki Hall on Monday, Mr Dado said he does not need permission from his former party boss to make a new political move, adding that Mr Musyoka should not use him as a punching bag over the downfall of Wiper party.

"The first Wiper governor to defect was Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua from his (Musyoka’s) own Ukambani backyard but he was quick to brand me as corrupt yet it is [because of] his own failure we are all defecting to another party [that] we see [has] a better vision. I know Kalonzo more than anyone else. He was introduced by the late Mulu Mutisya to politics,” said Mr Dado, a former Machakos district commissioner.

NASA FLAG BEARER

"I will not make public what I know about Kalonzo. He has no integrity to point fingers at me. What I can say is that he will never be a Nasa presidential flag bearer," Mr Dado added.

The governor defended his decision to quit Wiper saying he made the choice after consulting widely with his supporters and advisors.

“Previously, I was in ODM, then Wiper and now (I have) moved to Jubilee because my people have persuaded me for long and they can as well today instruct me to defect to any other political party or even defend my seat as an independent candidate,” said Mr Dado.

Tana River Senator Ali Bule told Mr Kalonzo to stop meddling in the county’s politics saying their defection to Jubilee was necessitated by lack of direction within the opposition coalition.

TANA RIVER POLITICS

“I want to tell Kalonzo Musyoka that he has no any influence in Tana River politics to the extent of suggesting that Governor Dado will not be re-elected.

“He is not the one to decide who will be elected. There is no day he will be president in Kenya,” said Mr Bule.

Mr Bule, who was elected on a URP ticket, accused Mr Musyoka of denying him a Wiper party ticket in the 2013 elections, something he said he will never regret.

DEPUTY GOVERNOR

Deputy Governor Jire Siyat told the gathering that he and Mr Dado have buried their political differences, which he said had been blown out of proportion by their detractors.

“They are people who were saying we have parted ways but they don’t understand politics. Many people were doubting whether we can be together again,” he said.

Tana River Woman Representative Halim Ware, who also addressed the gathering, said their decision to defect to Jubilee was for the good of the people.

“Tana River people have been in successive governments until last elections when we lost and found ourselves on the fence but we are now back in the right direction,” added Ms Ware.