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Doubts raised over candidate’s appeal
The National Alliance on Saturday found itself at a crossroads over the outcome of the Nairobi gubernatorial race after a section of party members expressed fears that former Embakasi MP Ferdinand Waititu may not defeat ODM’s candidate, Dr Evans Kidero. Mr Waititu defeated investment banker Jimnah Mbaru to clinch the TNA nomination.
The former MP’s staunch supporters, however, said they were certain Mr Waititu would win more people to his side.
“Those opposed to Mr Waititu should know he is not a candidate of his community, but of a certain class of people — the low income earners across the board,” said Mr Francis Macharia, the secretary of the Muthurwa Market Sacco Ltd.
Chairman of the Nairobi Central Business District Association Timothy Muriuki, who had stepped down for Mr Mbaru, said: “We were looking at a person with a record that can transform the city for all cadres of Nairobians .... TNA has about 900,000 members. Less than 15 per cent of them participated,” he said.
TNA hopefuls team up in bid for Nairobi
TNA’s Ferdinand Waititu, Mike Sonko and Rachel Shebesh have combined forces and launched a united campaign for the Nairobi governor, senator and women representative seats, respectively.
When Ms Shebesh joined TNA in September last year, Mr Sonko said she would help them strategise on how to popularise the party in Nairobi.
“She is an asset to the party. Some of us who had been close to her when she was in ODM have worked hard to bring her on board. Now TNA is becoming stronger,” he said.
The former nominated MP ditched Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s ODM for Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta’s party. She had hitherto been a vocal supporter of Mr Odinga.
On their billboards across the city, the three aspirants, who have dubbed themselves the people’s servants, have gone a step further and given themselves nicknames they hope will resonate with the electorate. Mr Waititu is “Baba Yao”, Mr Sonko is “A Man of the People”, while Ms Shebesh is “Manzi wa Naii”.
Wambui wins Othaya seat
Businesswoman Mary Wambui clinched the TNA Othaya parliamentary nomination ticket after a bruising contest with Othaya Development Authority chairman Gichuki Mugambi.
Ms Wambui garnered 13,050 votes against Mr Gichuki’s 10,080 in nominations whose final tally was announced on Saturday morning.
The campaigns, which have electrified the Othaya political scene in a way not seen in the last 34 years that President Kibaki was area MP, were dominated by the apparent preference of Mr Mugambi by the First Family.
President Kibaki’s son, Mr Jimmy Kibaki, told Othaya residents on December 23 that his father had endorsed Mr Mugambi for the Othaya seat.
Jimmy said that he had sat with the President and TNA leader Uhuru Kenyatta, and Mr Kibaki had told them that his choice for successor was Mr Mugambi.
Raila steers clear of talk on chaotic primaries in Kericho tour
Prime Minister Raila Odinga yesterday steered clear of the controversial ODM nominations as he campaigned in Kericho County, only saying that voters had made their decision.
The PM said the exercise marked a new dawn for the country and that he would work with the chosen leaders to form a formidable team
“The people have spoken through the nominations, and with it they are ready to usher in a new dawn”, Mr Odinga said.
Speaking at the Kericho Green Stadium, the PM expressed confidence that his alliance would form the next government.
He also hit out at those asking him to retire with President Kibaki, saying he still had a lot to offer the country.
“I was not able to implement my policies in 2007, but if you vote for me, I will implement them and bring change to the country,” he said.
Mr Odinga again reiterated that he would work to bring the ICC cases back to the country so as to ensure peace.
Mr Odinga noted that the youth and women enterprise funds, which had been expected to help tackle rising poverty in the country, had not met their targets and promised that a Cord coalition government would come up with new programmes that would deliver better results.
The PM extended an olive branch to his opponents, saying he bore no grudges against anyone and had forgiven them.
Mr Moses Wetangula, the party leader of Ford Kenya, which is a principal member of Cord, added that most Kenyans had faith in the PM to lead the country after President Kibaki.
“As Cord leaders, we settled on Mr Odinga because he has the capability to lead this country and implement the new Constitution fully because he helped pass it,” he said.
Nakuru gives ex-MP his marching orders
Former AP Commandant Kinuthia Mbugua on Saturday secured the TNA ticket to vie for Nakuru’s gubernatorial seat with a landslide.
Mr Mbugua, who initiated peace caravans in hotspots areas of the Rift Valley region after the 2007/08 poll violence, garnered 143,487 votes against his sole opponent’s, former Nakuru MP Lee Kinyanjui, 53,137 votes.
“The civil society should stop branding Nakuru a hotspot as those days are long gone. We have conducted peaceful and credible primaries without an incident,” Mr Mbugua told supporters outside Nakuru County Council hall on being declared the winner.
His supporters say that since Mr Mbugua managed to get votes from a cross-section of the communities resident in Nakuru, it was a sign that he is best positioned to address the issues of ethnic rivalry that had retarded development in the county.
Mr Mbugua will face Dr Francis Kiranga of UDF and Rev Lawrence Bomett of ODM during the March 4 elections.
Mr Mbugua will face Dr Francis Kiranga of UDF and Rev Lawrence Bomett of ODM during the March 4 elections.
By the time of going to press, results for the senate aspirants had not been announced, but the battle was between Mr James Mungai and Mr Madaraka Mwithaga. Similarly, the results for women representative, which was between Ms Mary Mbugua and Ms Grace Kibuku, had not been declared.
What next for the bishop?
Was former Starehe MP Margaret Wanjiru duped by ODM functionaries to remain in the party only to be sacrificed later? That was the question on many of her supporters’ minds after she was barred from the gubernatorial race over the controversy surrounding her academic certificates.
A few months ago, the former MP had indicated she was ready to switch camps from ODM to TNA, and even met with Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta over the matter. But sources say Mr Kenyatta could not give in to her demands for a direct nomination for a specific seat. She returned to ODM.
Sources in ODM intimated that Prime Minister Raila Odinga lured her back with a promise to support her bid for the Nairobi gubernatorial race. Indeed, she got his support during ODM rallies in Nairobi, and when ODM delegates met to nominate Mr Odinga at Kasarani stadium last month, Bishop Wanjiru was the master of ceremonies.
On Saturday, the party left vacant the seat of women representative after Dr Evans Kidero clinched the governor ticket and former Kasarani MP Elizabeth Ongoro the senator’s. Bishop Wanjiru will have only Sunday to decide if she will take up direct nomination for the women representative seat.
Mututho: Bar owners tried to rig me out
Former Naivasha MP John Mututho on Saturday claimed bar owners in the newly formed Gilgil constituency wanted to rig him out of the just-concluded party nominations, to explain why he decamped from TNA to Charity Ngilu’s Narc.
He claimed that those overseeing the nominations in the constituency were bar owners who wanted him out because of the tough laws against alcohol consumption that he had initiated in Parliament during his tenure as Naivasha MP.
Deliberate efforts
“They made deliberate efforts to rig me out. My photo was not on the ballot unlike the rest of my competitors, and my name was also not visible,” he told journalists at the Narc headquarters in Nairobi after being officially welcomed to the party by former Mutito MP Kiema Kilonzo.
“I will not allow minorities to be trampled upon by bar owners who have too much chang’aa in their heads,” he said.
He added that he would contest the Gilgil parliamentary seat on a Narc ticket and let the people decide in a fair process at the ballot.
He said he opted for Narc because the party was in the Jubilee alliance, which is led by Uhuru Kenyatta, who is also its presidential candidate with former Eldoret MP William Ruto his running mate.
“Uhuru is my president and will always remain my president,” he said.
Reports by Edith Fortunate, Billy Muiruri, Francis Mureithi, Peter Obuya, Justus Wanga, Charles Mwaniki, Timothy Kimei and Brian Yonga
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