Vote hunt stepped up ahead of poll
Mr George Wanjohi (L) and Mr Stephen Kariuki.
What you need to know:
- The rejection of Gor Semelang’o by the IEBC on grounds that he had not resigned from his position six months before the election was being interpreted as a boost to Cord.
- The by-election is, to most observers, a supremacy battle between President Kenyatta and Cord co-principal Raila Odinga.
Mathare by-election candidates have intensified their campaigns ahead of the August 7 by-election.
The contestants for the parliamentary seat include Mr George Wanjohi (TNA), Mr Steven Kariuki (Cord), Mr Billian Okoth Ojiwa (National Labour Party), Mr Fwamba C. Fwamba (Maendeleo Party) and Mr Sammy Mudanya (Progressive Party).
Also in the race are independent candidates Barrack Obat, Nixon Kavai and Muthoni Macharia.
Mr Wanjohi and Mr Kariuki seem not to be leaving anything to chance and are attending successive meetings in search of votes.
Out of the candidates from the small parties and the independents, only Mr Fwamba, a former University of Nairobi student leader, is undertaking concerted campaigns.
At the weekend, he attended a highly charged meeting at the Undugu Polytechnic, organised by the Luhya community to chart their political path in the constituency. He also met youth groups in Mlango Kubwa and Hospital wards.
BOOST TO CORD
The rejection of former Youth Fund chairman Gor Semelang’o by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission on grounds that he had not resigned from his position six months before the election was being interpreted as a boost to Cord.
Mr Semelang’o’s candidature had been viewed as a vote-splitting plot against Cord. He has, however, said he will challenge the ruling in court.
Some candidates appeared in public for the first time on Saturday during an open debate organised by a local NGO.
Mr Wanjohi opted for closed-door meetings with TNA members and opinion leaders. He spent his weekend in his Huruma and Kiamaiko strongholds meeting strategic groups.
He has been endorsed by the Kikuyu Council of Elders and another influential Kikuyu group in the constituency, Muhiriga wa Huruma.
The elders have reconciled Mr Wanjohi with his political rivals, including the constituency’s only two TNA members. “Our mission is to consolidate our votes. We are the majority,” said Mr Wanjohi. “The seat has serious political ramifications for President Uhuru Kenyatta and the overall city politics.”
Mr Kariuki attended a soccer tournament in Huruma and Kiamaiko to woo the youth.
“We know where our supporters are. We are going from door to door selling our vision,” he said.
The by-election is, to most observers, a supremacy battle between President Kenyatta and Cord co-principal Raila Odinga.
