Wiper rules out direct tickets for aspirants

No aspirant will be given a direct nomination in Wiper Party except for the party leader Kalonzo Musyoka.

Speaking at a rally held at the Mulu Mutisya gardens in Machakos on Monday, Wiper Party chairman David Musila and Machakos County senator Johnson Muthama assured aspirants seeking the party ticket that the primaries will be free and fair.

The leaders said many aspirants had not filled and returned party nomination papers as there were fears that some people had already been given certificates.

“No one has been given any direct nomination in the Wiper Party. If there was direct nomination, I as the chairman should be having one. I will seek nomination with the sitting governor Julius Malombe and whoever will lose will support the other,” said Mr Musila.

Mr Musila added that only the party leader, Mr Musyoka, has a direct nomination to be the Wiper presidential flag-bearer. He said they hoped Mr Musyoka will be chosen as the National Supper Alliance (Nasa) presidential candidate.

Senator Muthama on his part said even though Makueni county governor Kivutha Kibwana had signed an agreement with Wiper, all those willing to contest for the Makueni governor’s seat on Wiper should be free to seek the party’s ticket.

SPLINTER GROUP

He cautioned governor Kibwana to go slow on party matters and accused him of leading a splinter group of leaders going by the name Wiper Express.

“Let Kibwana come slowly. There are those of us in Wiper who have suffered for the party. Kibwana has not given a single shilling towards the funding of the Wiper party,” he said.

The Wiper Express team is comprised of Prof Kibwana and a number of MPs including Mr Robert Mbui (Kathiani), Patrick Makau (Mavoko), Dr Susan Musyoka (Machakos Woman Rep) and Peter Mathuki (East African Legislative Assembly).

The team did not attend the rally in Machakos.

However, Mr Mbui refuted claims by senator Muthama that they were working for the Jubilee Party. He said the group was fighting for Mr Musyoka to be the Nasa flag-bearer.

“The senator should respect other leaders. Now that governor Kibwana has joined the party, he should not be fighting him,” said Mr Mbui who is also the Wiper Party Organizing Secretary.

Mr Mbui said the group was against some leaders imposing preferred candidates on the people.

Other leaders who spoke at rally included Machakos Deputy governor Bernard Kiala and members of the county assembly.

Mr Kiala said he was ready to go through a fair nomination process for the Wiper Party ticket in order to contest for the governor’s seat.

He refuted claims that he had already been given a nomination certificate because he was close to the party leader.