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Day of reckoning for party leaders as Bungoma votes
From left: Wafula Wamunyinyi, Wafula Wakoli and Mwambu Mabonga.
Tomorrow will be a day of reckoning for key political leaders, including the President, as 646,612 voters in Bungoma County go to the ballot to choose their senator.
President William Ruto’s UDA is fielding former Bumula MP Mwambu Mabonga while his Kenya Kwanza Alliance colleagues National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi are backing David Wafula Wakoli of Ford Kenya.
UDA has upstaged the two Western Kenya political supremos in their own backyard after the President’s party won six MP seats, including Mr Mudavadi’s own constituency.
Mr Mudavadi’s Amani National Congress and Mr Wetang’ula’s Ford Kenya each have five MPs, same as Democratic Alliance Party of Kenya (DAP-K). Mr Raila Odinga’s ODM has the highest number of MPs in the region at 15.
Mr Wetang’ula and Mr Mudavadi are desperate to show their strength against President Ruto, while Mr Odinga is looking to cement his foothold.
Mr Odinga has convinced political parties in his Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition to jointly field former Kiminini MP Wafula Wamunyinyi, who is running on coalition party’s ticket. He will be only the second leader to do so after Mr Odinga in the August presidential election.
Others in the race are Elias Barasa (Empowerment Party), Fredrick Busolo (Vibrant Democratic Party), Aaron Anjala (Republican Party), Geoffrey Barazah (Nopeu) and Robert Sifuna (Roots Party of Kenya). Independent candidates Enock Makokha, Julius Masinde and Munoko Raidon are also in the race.
On Saturday, Mr Wetang’ula told off the other parties saying the seat was for Ford Kenya to lose.
“Musalia Mudavadi and I will be traversing the nine constituencies of Bungoma drumming up support for the Lion’s party candidate Mwalimu David Wafula Wakoli. The Bungoma Senate seat belongs to the Ford Kenya party,” he said.
Rivalry
The rivalry between the Kenya Kwanza constituent parties has been a prominent feature in the race. On Thursday, Mr Mudavadi and Mr Wetang’ula said the UDA candidate should not have been fielded from the onset.
“As the constituent parties in Kenya Kwanza, we agreed that we would not field any candidates in Garissa, Elgeyo-Marakwet and Murang’a and we thought that in Bungoma nobody else would field a candidate because Wetang’ula is from Ford Kenya,” said Mr Mudavadi.
“Ford Kenya clinched the Bungoma senate seat in the August 9 polls and in this by-election voters should be careful not to be swayed to elect candidates who had been rejected because they had nothing to offer when they served as MPs,” added Mr Mudavadi in reference to Mr Mabonga who lost the Bumula MP seat and Mr Wamunyinyi who lost the Kanduyi seat in the August polls.
Previously, Mr Mabonga and Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale have accused Mr Wetang’ula of scheming to impose his crony on the people of Bungoma. Dr Khalwale went as far as asking voters to elect Mr Wamunyinyi if they were not ready to back Mr Mabonga.
Mr Mabonga, supported by Webuye West MP Dan Wanyama, has been camping in the latter’s constituency wooing the locals to vote for him. On the other hand, Mr Wanunyinyi, DAP-K leader Eugene Wamalwa and other leaders on Monday campaigned in Tongaren Constituency.
Bungoma has nine constituencies and Ford Kenya bagged majority of the seats.
Yesterday, County Returning officer Grace Rono met the 11 candidates who have been cleared to contest the seat and announced that voting will take place in 1,373 polling stations.
The county tallying centre will be at Mabanga Farmers Training Centre.
“All materials have been delivered and we are set for the by-election. We are ready for the exercise and urge voters to turn up in large numbers to elect their senator,” said Ms Rono.
