CORD, Jubilee in last-minute bid to draw ‘winning teams’

By GEOFFREY MOSOKU

Rival alliances CORD and Jubilee were engaged in intrigues and boardroom deals to draw a line-up for Nairobi ahead of party primaries.

In CORD, sources say former Mumias Sugar Managing Director Evans Kidero considered a front-runner may be nominated as governor candidate, while outgoing Starehe MP Margret Wanjiru will be asked to drop her ambition and be nominated as a candidate for the Women’s Representative.

The sources indicated that CORD principals Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka, and Moses Wetang’ula could have by last evening drawn what they term as a winning team.

Kalonzo’s ally Jonathan Mueke may benefit from this arrangement by being nominated as Dr idero’s running mate, while former Town Clerk Philip Kisia will get a Government appointment if CORD wins, or be nominated as a candidate for Nairobi Senate after Regional Development Minister Fred Gumo announced he had quit politics.

Kasarani MP Elizabeth Ongoro, who was also eying the Senate, would be requested to contest the Ruaraka parliamentary seat.

“I can assure you that Margret and Kisia’s names will not be there in tomorrow’s nominations,” a top ODM member said while revealing that Raila was due to meet the three  – Kisia, Kidero and Wanjiru – last night to strike a deal.

Outgoing Nairobi Mayor George Aladwa’s chances of becoming the Makadara MP received a boost as it emerged that no candidate had expressed interest in seeking the ODM ticket, while coalition partner Wiper and Ford-Kenya had not attracted any candidate in the same constituency.

HATCHED SCHEME

And in The National Alliance, top party chiefs have hatched a scheme to have Nairobi businessman Jimnah Mbaru go unopposed in today’s nominations.

This is after three of Mbaru’s would-be competitors; Lee Muchiri, Timothy Muriuki and Chege Waweru quit on Tuesday, while indications that former Town Clerk John Gakuo will be prevailed to step down too emerged. Gakuo, despite being touted as a serious contender has conspicuously missed out of the campaign trail and has not made any public appearances for the last one week.

By yesterday, highly placed sources in TNA revealed that Gakuo was being ‘talked to’ with a view of having him step down for Mbaru.

Muchiri, who has since said he will now contest for the Nairobi senate against outgoing Makadara MP Gideon Mbuvi Sonko, told his supporters that their decision to quit the race was not voluntary.

“Yesterday (Tuesday) we told a press conference that we had made a voluntary decision to quit but the truth is we were forced by the party,” Muchiri said without revealing the names of those who compelled them. He toldhis supporters the three had not been paid to step down.