Luhya elders have said they will not support either Senator Moses Wetang’ula or ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi if the two do not join forces under Cord.
Members of the Luhya Elders Forum said the two should come together under Cord to increase their chances of clinching the presidency.
Forum secretariat member and Maragoli elder Peter Ludava said they will only support a Luhya presidential candidate if he is in Cord. “We support Cord. If any of our brothers seeks and clinches the Cord ticket, he will have our full support,” he said. The elders said those who want to go it alone are spoilers out to reduce Cord’s chances in the next elections.
Ludava dismissed Mudavadi’s candidature, saying he is a spoiler and is giving Jubilee the upper hand, as he does not have the support of other communities. He said Mudavadi would have been the Deputy President now had he remained in ODM. “We asked Mudavadi to remain in ODM in 2013, but he refused. What he is doing now is simply spoiling for Cord,” Ludava said.
Tachoni elder Burudi Nabwera said any Luhya presidential candidate should not believe he will automatically get the support of the community and elders. He said they are keen to ensure the community gets to power but not through splitting votes. “Anyone who wants our support must be in Cord. Should Wetang’ula fail to get the party ticket and go it alone, he should forget about our support,” Nabwera said.
The elders said it is time the community got its economic and political priorities right and not be hoodwinked by a few empty promises.
They criticised the upcoming visit by President Uhuru Kenyatta, saying it is will not achieve any meaningful development. Nabwera said the purported bailout of Mumias and Nzoia sugar companies was not a grant from the government but a loan through the Kenya Sugar Board.