Jubilee, Nasa all out to win over voters in election countdown

Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka addresses residents of Kimilili during a recent tour of Bungoma County by President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy President William Ruto. PHOTO | PSCU

What you need to know:

  • In Bungoma, MPs elected on a Jubilee Party ticket are under pressure to deliver more than half of the votes in the county in the coming presidential poll, set for October 17.

  • Mr Ken Lusaka, who was recently picked by Jubilee senators to become the House Speaker, pledged to ensure the President gets the majority of votes in the county.

  • In Laikipia, Devolution Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri hit out at his critics, who have been accusing him of interfering with the county’s politics.

With the Supreme Court having nullified President Uhuru Kenyatta’s victory, Jubilee and National Super Alliance politicians in various regions have hit the ground running in readiness for the repeat election.

In Bungoma, MPs elected on a Jubilee Party ticket are under pressure to deliver more than half of the votes in the county in the coming presidential poll, set for October 17.

Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka is leading the onslaught for more votes and is being assisted by four Jubilee MPs who are targeting more than three quarters of the votes available in the region, considered a Nasa zone.

The MPs in the campaign team are Mr John Waluke (Sirisia), Didmus Barasa (Kimilili), Fred Kapondi (Mt Elgon) and Daniel Wanyama (Webuye West).

They have been joined by Bumula MP Moses Mabonga, an independent candidate who declared on Thursday that he would back the President’s re-election.

STRATEGIC MEETINGS

The team has been holding several strategic meetings since the annulment of the presidential election results, as they seek to frustrate Nasa candidate Raila Odinga, who secured a huge number of votes last time.

The meetings are meant to ensure Mr Odinga and Nasa do not win massive votes from the 559,000 registered voters in the devolved unit.

“We have been instructed to deliver more than 250,000 votes to the Jubilee basket. Several meetings we have held are meant to make sure that we deliver the needed votes. Pressure is so high that leaders are not sleeping. The President says he has given us the top seat and we have to reciprocate by ensuring he is re-elected in October,” said an MP who asked not to be named for discussing Jubilee strategy secrets.

THANKING RESIDENTS

President Kenyatta toured Kimilili Constituency on Thursday in what he said was a trip aimed at thanking Kimilili residents for voting for Mr Barasa of Jubilee. He used the opportunity to ask for votes in the coming polls.

“You made us proud by electing Barasa and three other Jubilee MPs — including Kapondi, Wanyama and Waluke. We want to show Nasa that Bungoma is no longer an opposition zone because we already have many MPs here and Bumula MP Moses Mabonga is also campaigning for us,” he said.

Mr Lusaka, who was recently picked by Jubilee senators to become the House Speaker, pledged to ensure the President gets the majority of votes in the county.

In Laikipia, Devolution Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri hit out at his critics, who have been accusing him of interfering with the county’s politics.

The former Laikipia East MP said those behind the condemnation are actually beneficiaries of the campaign he launched for the Jubilee Party ahead of the August 8 election.

CAMPAIGN TOGETHER

“A few weeks to the General Election, we teamed up with Jubilee candidates to campaign together and urged the electorate to vote for President Uhuru Kenyatta.

“I am shocked they are now criticising me after securing their seats,” the CS said in an interview.

Mr Kiunjuri mounted a vigorous campaign for Jubilee candidates in the county soon after the President’s visit in July.

The Head of State had asked the people of Laikipia to vote for Jubilee candidates — from the MCA to the President.

“If campaigning for Jubilee candidates is interpreted to be interference, then be it. I also campaigned for Jubilee candidates in Kwale, Turkana, Taita-Taveta and Samburu and I have not been accused of interference,” said the CS.

PULLED SURPRISES

The campaign mounted by Mr Kiunjuri pulled some surprises not only in Laikipia but also at the Coast and in Rift Valley, where Jubilee won some seats against the expectations of many.

In Laikipia North, combative ODM lawmaker Mathew Lempurkel was defeated by Ms Sarah Korere. Many had expected the controversial politician to retain his seat after community elders from the Maasai and the Samburu communities said they were not ready to be led by a woman MP.

“President Kenyatta visited Laikipia North and in my presence put it clearly that he preferred Ms Korere to be the next MP. It was upon me to assist her in the campaigns and sure enough, she won and now we don’t have any leader in the county elected on an opposition party ticket,” said the CS.

The win by Senator John Kinyua under Jubilee against former Mungiki leader Maina Njenga is attributed to the campaigns conducted by Mr Kiunjuri. For the first time, none of the 15 MCAs was elected on an opposition party ticket unlike in the last county assembly.

TWO LEADERS

Mr Kiunjuri questioned why only two leaders had come openly to criticise him while others, including Governor Ndiritu Muriithi, whom he campaigned against, had struck a reconciliatory tone.

At the same time, the Nasa brigade returned to the Kisii region on Tuesday using the criticism of Chief Justice David Maraga by President Kenyatta and his cronies as a campaign weapon to lure the community to its side.

Nyamira was the first region the Nasa team toured outside Nairobi after the Supreme Court nullified the August 8 presidential results in a calculated move to capitalise on the onslaught by Jubilee leaders on the CJ.

“We have taken the earliest opportunity to thank you for voting for us and plead with you to continue supporting us. But we are here to tell the President and his team to stop the continued attacks on Maraga,” said Mr Odinga.

It was clear from the speeches by the Nasa bigwigs at various stopovers in the two counties — Nyamira and Kisii — that the Gusii vote will play a big part in determining the winner of the repeat election.

REPEAT ELECTION

While Jubilee had used Nasa’s criticism of Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i to great effect ahead of the August 8 election, it was clear that Mr Odinga and his team are determined to exploit President Kenyatta’s onslaught on Mr Maraga to reclaim Nyamira County come October 17.

The Jubilee criticism against Mr Maraga following his landmark ruling annulling President Kenyatta’s election sent shockwaves across Gusii land, including his rural home — Bonyamatutu Village in Nyamira County.

His close relatives came out strongly to defend him.

Some residents went onto the streets for three consecutive days to protest against what they termed disrespect from Jubilee leaders after the Supreme Court ruling.

Former Kitutu Chache South MP Richard Onyonka said the August 8 election results that indicated that the Kisii region had shifted its stance were manufactured and do not reflect the true position of the people.

“Let him respect our son if he is to be respected,” said Mr Onyonka.

 Reported by Mwangi Ndirangu, Boniface Mwangi, Titus Oteba and Ruth Mbula