Sunday, February 24, 2013

Kalonzo Musyoka; choice2013; General Election; Wiper party


By Daniel Nzia
KENYA: Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka has moved to quell wrangles among candidates from parties affiliated to CORD in Makueni and Machakos counties.
The VP has spent the last two days campaigning for CORD in Makueni County where he sought to assure voters that he would not impose any candidate on them.
Kalonzo visited the area as political temperatures heightened, with aspirants from the so-called small parties under the alliance accusing his Wiper party of seeking to sideline them.
The parties have been uncomfortable with Wiper’s insistence that voters elect its candidates only in the March 4 General Election.
Muungano Party leader and Makueni gubernatorial aspirant Kivutha Kibwana recently confronted the VP over the matter and demanded his intervention.
This was after Machakos Senate candidate Johnson Muthama urged the electorate to elect Wiper’s Prof Philip Kaloki as governor at a campaign rally at Unoa Primary School Grounds in the presence of Prof Kivutha.
“It is unfair for leaders from outside our county to come here and drum up support for certain candidates while we all belong to the CORD alliance,” said Kivutha.
Mounting disquiet
The disquiet is threatening to split the CORD partners down the middle, a move observers say could affect the presidential vote in the county.
At one point, supporters of the small parties’ aspirants threatened to team up and throw their weight behind other candidates outside the alliance.
The VP who addressed several rallies in Kibwezi, Makueni, Kilome, Kaiti and Mbooni constituencies said Wiper had dropped the six-piece suit campaign to allow a free and fair competition.
Democratic right
“I will not impose any particular candidate on you. It is your democratic right to choose any candidate from the CORD affiliate parties,” said the VP.
At some of the rallies, Kalonzo was forced to step in to cool temperatures as supporters of the Prof Kaloki and Prof Kibwana went for each other’s necks.
“The CORD top leadership should stop favoring certain candidates because all of us belong to the alliance and should be accorded equal treatment as we hunt for votes,”said Will Malile, a Muungano parliamentary candidate for Kibwezi East.
“People are no longer interested in voting for candidates on party lines but their ability to deliver,” said a Muungano supporter who did not wish to be named.
As Kalonzo strives to put the CORD house in order, he is also faced with the challenge of stopping his long time political archrival Charity Ngilu.
The Water minister has pitched tent in the three counties campaigning for the Jubilee presidential flag bearer Uhuru Kenyatta.
Ngilu, who is facing off with Defence Assistant minister David Musila for the Kitui County Senate seat, has vowed to ensure CORD is defeated.
“Ngilu is a renown political fighter and CORD has to go back to the drawing table to plan how to tackle her,” said Davies Musau, a Narc official.
It remains to be seen if the VP will manage the two top seats in the three counties.
In Makueni, Education minister Mutula Kilonzo of the Wiper party is battling with wealthy outgoing Kilome MP John Harun Mwau of PICK to become the first Senator.
In Machakos, the immediate former Kangundo MP Jonhstone Muthama of Wiper is seen as the frontrunner for the Senate seat and will fight it out with Boniface Kabaka of Ford People.



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