Mathare by-election candidates have
intensified their campaigns ahead of the August 7 by-election. TNA aspirant
George Wanjohi received a boost on Sunday after President Uhuru Kenyatta and
his deputy William Ruto led Jubilee parliamentarians and senators in drumming
up support for him ahead of the by-election.
Cord on the other hand also stepped up
campaigns for their candidate Steven Kariuki, with nominated senator Elizabeth
Ongoro embarking on a door-to-door vote-hunting mission in Mathare
constituency. The by-election is, to most observers, yet another supremacy
contest between President Kenyatta and CORD co-principal Raila Odinga.
Sources say Raila, WDM leader Kalonzo
Musyoka and Ford-kenya leader Moses Wetangula plans to literally camp in Mathare
this week to drum up support for Kariuki.
Cord seems to be relying on ethnic
arithmetic to win the seat. Raila will be relied on to convince Luo voters to
vote for Kariuki while Kalonzo will be relied on to ensure the Kamba community
votes with Cord and Wetangula will be the man in charge of Luhya votes. The
game plan is to ensure Cord gets solid votes from the three communities and
with the support of Margret Wanjiru who is Kariuki’s mother is expected to
split the GEMA votes with Wanjohi.
During Uhuru’s campaigns in Mathare, he
told CORD leaders to desist from hurling insults at the presidency and instead
engage in constructive politics. He asked former prime minister and other
opposition leaders to avoid issuing ultimatums to a democratically - elective
government, in their quest for a national referendum.
“I want to tell my brother Raila Odinga
to respect the Presidency. If he was elected the President, I would not be
standing by the roadside to insult him,” President Kenyatta said.
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