Makueni Cord heavy weights join former Ngilu party

THE race for the Makueni senatorial seat has taken a sharp twist after three close allies of former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka decamped from Cord to Narc, formerly led by Lands Secretary Charity Ngilu. The heavyweights who were allied to Cord, former Kibwezi MP Philip Kaloki, former Kaiti MP Gideon Ndambuki and former Makueni legislator Peter Kiilu are now scheduled to face off in the Narc nominations ahead of the by-election. This is being seen on the ground as a drastic turn of political mood in the area, since the March 4 elections when Cord held sway in the region. Ngilu, a perennial political nemesis of Kalonzo, has since quit politics following her appointment as a Cabinet Secretary by President Uhuru Kenyatta last month. However, failure by Kalonzo allies to stick in Cord and gravitate to the former Ngilu party could be interpreted to mean her clout has risen with her entry into Cabinet, even after she quit politics as a mandatory constitutional requirement. The three politicians, formerly members of the Wiper Democratic Party (WDP), vigorously campaigned for former Prime Minister Raila Odinga-led Cord in the General Election. Sources who spoke to The People on condition of anonymity said Ndambuki and Kaloki agreed to join Narc and officially forwarded their resignation letters to WDM at a meeting on Friday evening. Kiilu had quit Cord earlier, soon after the death of former Makueni Senator the late Mutula Kilonzo. It is understood that already former Mutitu MP Kiema