How Malombe ran well-oiled campaign to beat Musila for Wiper ticket

Kitui Governor Julius Malombe on Wednesday clinched the Wiper Party ticket to seek a second term in office after beating his political friend turned bitter rival, Kitui Senator David Musila.

Dr Malombe garnered 88,382 votes while Mr Musila got 74,308 votes in the bitter contest whose tallying of votes took more than 50 hours to conclude as the candidates disagreed on the results.

The Governor ran a well-oiled and effective campaign machinery backed by his elaborate network of county government staff to deny Mr Musila, who is the Wiper Party national chairman and an experienced politician, a winning chance.

The win is a big political statement because Mr Musila had the backing of all the Wiper MPs in the county including Minority Leader in the National Assembly Francis Nyenze, Woman Representative Nyiva Mwendwa and even Dr Malombe’s deputy Penina Malonza.

With an exception of Mwingi West’s Bernard Kitungi, the other MPs did not have opponents in the party primaries and therefore had free time campaigning for the senator.

They include Mr Nyenze (Kitui West), Charles Nyamai (Kitui Rural), Makali Mulu (Kitui Central) and Mutua Muluvi (Kitui East).

However, the power of incumbency which included a village council of seven members in each of the 247 village, whose main job was to drum up support for the governor in the grassroots, effectively tilted the election in his favour.

KALONZO FACTOR

This massive and elaborate network of campaign teams was reporting to the 40 ward development committees of five people and had been active for two years.

Another factor that helped his victory was the expectations Kitui voters have in Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka clinching either the National Super Alliance (Nasa) presidential ticket or being the running mate.

Mr Musyoka who hails from Mwingi in the county, like Mr Musila, complicated matters for his party chairman as Kitui voters were opposed to giving the “two presidencies” as they were referred to during the campaigns, to the same region.

The Wiper party was also keen on sharing the main county seats in a manner that represents regional balance and this worked very well for the Governor who hails from Kitui Central.

SENATE RACE

Former journalist Enoch Wambua also won the Wiper party senatorial ticket after garnering 99,698 votes to beat his opponent Paul Mutisya who managed 38,545 votes.

Dr Irene Kasalu, a university lecturer and new entrant into elective politics, won the Woman Rep contest after getting 53,291 votes against her opponent Jane Kebati who garnered 49,150 votes.

Mr Wambua hails from Kitui West constituency while Dr Kasalu is from Mwingi Central.

In Kitui South constituency, young political newcomer Kennedy Moki beat veteran politician and former area MP Isaac Muoki to clinch the party’s parliamentary ticket while in Mwingi West Mr Kitungi the incumbent MP lost to Charles Nguna.

Several MCAs who backed the Governors reelection campaign however lost in the primaries.

DISRUPTION

In Mwingi Central, voting was disrupted in most polling stations after one of the parliamentary aspirants’, Gideon Mulyungi, supporters allegedly destroyed ballot papers and chased presiding officers claiming they were biased.

The rowdy supporters took over most stations where they marked the ballot papers confiscated from election officials for their candidate, Mr Mulyungi, prompting his rival former Law Society of Kenya chairman, Eric Mutua, to demand a cancellation of the whole exercise.

Mr Mutua said his rival, a former Public works secretary, had made a mockery of the process by leading “a wave of violence and intimidation of election officials” saying the party must conduct repeat polls.

However, Mr Mulyungi, who was declared winner, complained that the presiding officers were biased against him and that there had been a plot to rig him out.