Mudavadi’s ANC plots to outshine other parties in Nasa
Lugari MP Ayub Savula, who says the Amani National Congress will raise money to fund campaigns for its candidates. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The move is aimed at ensuring that it attains the Political Parties Fund threshold of 20 MPs.
- The battle for supremacy within the opposition coalition has manifested itself in various regions.
The Amani National Congress (ANC) has launched a resource mobilisation team to raise money to support its candidates for various elective seats during the August election.
The team, to be chaired by Lugari MP Ayub Savula, will mobilise funds to ensure that the party’s candidates across the country are adequately financed to have a strong representation within the Council of Governors, the Senate, the National Assembly and the various county assemblies.
The party wants to raise Sh500 million, Mr Savula told the Nation.
The move, according to Mr Savula, is to ensure that ANC becomes the strongest party within the National Super Alliance (Nasa) family in order to boost the chances of its leader, Musalia Mudavadi, to ascend to the presidency in 2022.
“We must have a strong voice in the coalition and help our party leader to fight for the presidency in 2022,” he said when the team was unveiled at a Nairobi hotel Thursday.
SPONSOR
“We shall be campaigning for Nasa presidential candidate Raila Odinga at the national level, but we have decided to strengthen our numbers from within. We shall sponsor and finance our candidates in all others seats,” he added.
The move, according to Mr Savula, is also aimed at ensuring that it attains the Political Parties Fund threshold of 20 MPs, 40 MCAs, five governors and five senators to qualify for funding from the exchequer.
“Under the Nasa coalition agreement, ANC has been allocated the slot of majority leader in the National Assembly so we need to ensure that we have a majority of MPs within the coalition to claim this position,” Mr Savula added.
SUPREMACY
ANC’s latest move reflects the intense battle for supremacy within the Nasa family by the five affiliate parties, including Mr Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), the Wiper party, headed by Kalonzo Musyoka, Moses Wetang’ula’s Ford Kenya and Chama cha Mashinani (CCM), headed by Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto.
The battle for supremacy within the opposition coalition has manifested itself in various regions, where each of the affiliate has fielded candidates for the same elective seats.
In Mombasa, for instance, incumbent Governor Hassan Joho, who is running on an ODM ticket, is battling it out with Wiper’s Hassan Omar.
In Kakamega, Ford Kenya deputy party leader Boni Khalwale is battling to oust incumbent Wycliffe Oparanya, who is defending his seat on an ODM ticket.
In Vihiga, ANC’s Yusuf Chanzu is battling it out with ODM’s Wilbur Otichilo and incumbent Moses Akaranga for the gubernatorial seat. Mr Akaranga is defending his seat on the Progressive Party of Kenya ticket.
