Kalonzo says Jubilee won’t get votes in Gusiiland

Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka on Monday dismissed Jubilee’s charm offensive in the Gusii region, saying it was wasted effort.

Speaking in Kisii during a tour of the county, Mr Musyoka said Jubilee’s frequent trips to the area would not bear fruit in the next polls.

He accused the Jubilee regime of being insensitive to the plight of the citizens by discriminating against some regions in implementing their programmes.

He expressed confidence in a Cord victory during the August 2017 polls, saying Jubilee would lose due to its dismal development record.

He asked Deputy President William Ruto to explain the source of large donations he was making at fundraisers all over the country.

Wiper secretary general Hassan Omar urged youth in the region to register as voters in readiness for the next general elections.

During the trip, the Wiper leader also received more than 200 defectors from the Jubilee Party at St Vincent Pastoral Centre in Kisii town.

The defectors were led by former TNA member and Kisii gubernatorial aspirant Patrick Lumumba.

Mr Lumumba accused the county administration led by the incumbent Governor James Ongwae of causing the coalition to lose support in the region. “Our people wish to remain in Cord. It’s the county administration they are tired of,” he said.

Borabu MP Ben Momanyi hit out at DP Ruto for making frequent trips to the region without handling the security issues at the Kisii-Bomet and Narok-Nyamira borders.

Mr Lumumba, the runner-up during the 2013 gubernatorial polls, said the county government led by Governor James Ongwae had failed to deliver its many promises to the electorate.

He said Deputy President Ruto’s campaign to convince residents to vote for Jubilee was not welcome in the region. He said Cord was prepared to form the next government.

“We are only counting down the few months left before we send this crooked regime home,” he said.

He poured cold water on Ruto’s 2022 presidential ambitions, saying he had failed to safeguard the Gusii community from the attacks by his Kalenjin people.

Mr Momanyi accused Jubilee of ignoring the suffering of his constituents, saying it would be punished during the elections.

RIDDLED WITH INFIGHTING

“We will not vote for a government that cannot protect the lives and property of its subjects,” said Mr Momanyi.

He said the DP was mistaken in his criticism of the Cord coalition as an indecisive political outfit.

“The DP claims we are unable to choose a flag bearer in the presidential race yet he is party-less. He dissolved his party to seek refuge in a party he does not control called Jubilee,” he said.

Mr Momanyi invited the DP to the Wiper Party, saying he would be accorded the respect and dignified treatment he deserved as a leader.

“Jubilee is now riddled with infighting and petty conflicts. We welcome Ruto to our party so that he can once more experience the familiar feeling of being in a party where he is respected,” said the MP.

Kibwezi East MP Jessica Mbalu said Mr Musyoka was best placed to lead Cord in its quest to bring genuine change in the country.

“We are firmly behind our leader Musyoka whose leadership credentials are impeccable,” said Ms Mbalu.

She referred to the former Vice President’s Distinguished African Man Award that he won thus year as a testimony of the quality of leadership he could provide once elected.

“The fact that none of the leaders in power were considered for the award is a clear testimony that Mr Musyoka is a leader of unmatched calibre,” she said.