Kitui Delegates Say They Will Back Mudavadi Jubilee Bid

(From left) Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi, Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Eldoret North MP William Ruto after they teamed up.

BY 
MONDAY, 17 DECEMBER, 2012

There is intense lobbying to market Sabatia MP as ideal flagbearer for alliance because of integrity questions facing group

UDF delegates from Kitui have pledged to surport Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi in the Jubilee Alliance’s presidential primaries. The delegates said they were also lobbying their counterparts in The National Alliance party to support Mudavadi’s bid, terming him the best bet for the county’s development, since the Lower Eastern region had no presidential aspirant in the Jubilee Alliance.Led by Khamis Yahya, the UDF coordinator in the county, the delegates dismissed the candidature of Water minister Charity Ngilu as a mere publicity stunt aimed at preserving the National Rainbow Coalition leader’s political relevance.Visionary leadershipThe delegates urged Ngilu to support Mudavadi’s bid to be the alliance’s torch bearer and stick close to him to represent the Kamba community if he forms government. Yahya called upon NARC supporters to rally behind Mudavadi, saying he offered sober and visionary leadership.“The needs of Kitui County residents are unique. Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta cannot understand our challenges due to his background, therefore, we’ll be going with Mudavadi,” argued Yahya.The UDF coordinator was speaking at a Kitui hotel where party delegates metto lay strategies on how to approach the forthcoming Jubilee Alliance presidential nominations.Yahya revealed that there is intense lobbying to package and market Mudavadi as the ideal presidential candidate for the Jubilee Alliance because of integ- rity and ethnicity questions facing the alliance.