JOSEPH KANYI | NATION Narc Kenya supporters at a campaign rally for Kirinyaga Central Narc Kenya candidate Daniel Karaba in Kerugoya town on February 13, 2011. The by-elections will be held on February 16, 2011.
By PATRICK NZIOKA pnzioka@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Monday, February 14 2011 at 21:00
In Summary
- Battling parties roll out their big guns in hunt for the votes of those who are still undecided
Roadshows dominated the last day of campaigns in Kirinyaga Central on Monday as candidates sought to win over undecided voters.
The hunt for votes was made even more urgent and paramount by the perceived rivalry between Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua.
Mr Kenyatta campaigned at the weekend for PNU’s Joseph Gitari while Ms Karua rooted for Mr Daniel Karaba, who successfully challenged the election of Mr John Ngata Kariuki in the court.
However, Mr Kenyatta’s handlers have dismissed talk of supremacy wars, saying the by-election was a Kirinyaga affair and a fight between Ms Karua and Mr Robinson Githae, who has been leading the PNU campaigns.
“The by-election is a Kirinyaga affair and if there is any battle, then it is between her and Githae as both come from the area,” said a source close to Mr Kenyatta, who is not authorised to speak to the media.
Ms Karua is not leaving anything to chance and has set up camp in the area. Juja MP William Kabogo has also camped in the area since Wednesday, drumming up support for Mr Karaba.
With Mr Kenyatta not being on the ground, Mr Githae, who is also the Nairobi Metropolitan minister, has been leading the PNU campaigns.
Ms Karua’s constituency Gichugu and Mr Githae’s Ndia sandwich Kirinyaga Central in Kirinyaga county.
The minister has waged his own war against the former Justice minister over the control of the electorate in Kirinyaga. The minister claims seniority by virtue of being in the Cabinet while Ms Karua claims the mantle because she is a party leader.
A PNU victory will give Mr Githae bragging rights as the kingmaker in the district while a defeat will consign him to playing second fiddle to Ms Karua.
Unlike in previous campaigns, candidates in tomorrow’s polls have resorted to door-to-door campaigns to solicit votes. But the lack of rallies has not stopped the shenanigans associated with an election and the propaganda has reached fever pitch.
For instance, there have been claims the vote had been deferred. One candidate is said to have cut short her campaigns to travel to the city to consult her party’s head office over the alleged cancellation of the polls while her rivals hit the ground.
Allegations of vote buying are also rife. Mr Gitari has received the most flak as he is seen to be wealthier. Matters have not been helped by claims by Ms Karua that he and his backers were using public funds to campaign.
The Interim Independent Electoral Commission says it has not received any complaints of vote buying. Returning officer Teresia Mwai dismissed the claims as mere propaganda.
Mr Karaba, who has been touted as a front runner, was upbeat he will regain the seat with a majority vote unlike in 2007 when the court ruled that he had won the seat with a single vote.
He is pegging his win on his past record between 2002 and 2007. Critics say his successor, Mr Ngata, has little to show for the two years in Parliament.
His team is arguing that he should be allowed to pick up from where he left off in 2007 now that another election is a year away in 2012.
Ms Karua argues that there is no time to elect a greenhorn like Mr Gitari, who might spend the remainder of the term learning the ropes on the National Assembly’s operations.
Mr Karaba expects to reap from sympathy votes on two fronts — one, for being rigged out in 2007 and two, Karua’s falling out with the President. There is a feeling on the ground that she was treated badly despite serving Mr Kibaki well.
“The people here voted for me in 2007 but I was rigged out by the electoral commission. They know I went to court to fight for their right to elect an MP of their choice which they are about to do,” Mr Karaba told the Nation on the campaign trail.
Mr Gitari enjoys more support among the youth and has run a flashy campaign that overshadowed his rivals’ shows.
His last rally was attended by Mr Kenyatta and top government functionaries who urged Ms Karua to return to the PNU fold.
The youth came out in large numbers and might tilt the balance if the numbers translate into votes on Wednesday.
Mr Gitari’s team has turned the heat on Ms Karua and Mr Karaba, saying the area needs a clean break with the past.
He has rubbished Mr Karaba’s development record, citing the poor state of the Karatina-Kerugoya road. At one time during the campaigns, he financed the recarpeting of sections of the road.
Critics accuse Mr Gitari of not being his own man, given the way PNU big shots have been campaigning for him.
But nominated PNU councillor Mureithi Kingara dismisses this, saying Mr Karaba’s campaign is also being orchestrated by Ms Karua from neighbouring Gichugu.
“We used to be in the same constituency (Ndia) so people in Kirinyaga Central are our people. Martha Karua is from Gichugu so why are they claiming Mr Gitari is being supported by outsiders?” Mr Kingara says.
Interviews with voters revealed that KNC’s Beth Wambura and DP’s Henry Mwaniki could cause an upset.
Mr Mwaniki is optimistic he will win and promises a new type of politics.
Ms Wambura says she has covered enough ground to surprise her opponents. She is credited with starting the door-to-door campaigns which all candidates have adopted.
Others in the race are Mr Duncan Muraguri of PPK, Dr Sammy Kagoiyo of Ford Kenya and Mr Peter Ngare of SDP.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment