Nasa parties differ over sharing of elective seats in Trans Nzoia
From left: Trans Nzoia Governor Patrick Khaemba, Amani leader Musalia Mudavadi and deputy party leader Kipruto Kirwa. Differences have emerged among Nasa affiliate parties in Trans Nzoia over a proposed plan to share elective slots. PHOTO | JARED NYATAYA | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Ford Kenya says it cannot rop Deputy Governor Stanley Tarus and Senator Henry ole Ndiema since the region is their bedrock.
- In the proposal Ford Kenya takes governor's seat, ODM takes deputy while senate seat goes to ANC.
- Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya is said to have endorsed the proposal.
Differences have emerged among Nasa affiliate parties in Trans Nzoia over a proposed plan to share elective slots in the coming general election.
The proposal backs Ford Kenya‘s Patrick Khaemba to retain his seat as governor, ODM to take up the deputy governor’s seat while the senator’s seat is to be taken by Mr Kipruto Kirwa of Amani National Congress (ANC).
“This is the winning team that we want Nasa to embrace. The arrangement will ensure we beat the Jubilee Party at the polls,” said ODM’s Trans Nzoia secretary John Simiyu.
However, Ford Kenya is strongly opposed to the arrangement saying they cannot drop Deputy Governor Stanley Tarus and Senator Henry ole Ndiema since the region is their bedrock.
“We have never held any talks to have us drop our slots. We are the majority in this region and we thus demand that our colleagues should not dictate new arrangements to us,” said area Ford Kenya Chairman Ferdinand Wanyonyi.
ODM UNFAIR
Mr Wanyonyi, who is the MP for Kwanza, said it is unfair for their ODM counterparts to feel they can call shots in the region without embracing the spirit of consultation as required.
“We have not gone to ODM zones to demand a new arrangement on how to share the slots. It is therefore disrespectful of them to imagine they can control us in our zones,” he said.
Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya, who visited the region on Saturday, is said to have endorsed the proposed arrangement though his efforts to hold a meeting with Mr Khaemba failed after the governor avoided his calls.
Ford Kenya leader Moses Wetang’ula and Governor Oparanya have been at loggerheads since 2016 with both fighting over political party dominance in the western region.
Former Kanduyi MP Alfred Khang’ati (ODM) maintains that Ford Kenya’s popularity in Trans Nzoia and Bungoma counties is fast fading hence they cannot be left with the task of strategizing for Nasa.
“We are not dictating anything. It is a fact that ODM is more popular than Ford Kenya in western Kenya hence we know the winning formula that they need to embrace,” said Mr Khang’ati.
