The National Vision Party, formerly led by the late former Minister Nicholas Biwott, has announced that it will neither support Deputy President William Ruto nor Raila Odinga in the upcoming presidential poll.
New party leader Antony Chelimo said, instead, the outfit will sign a post-election coalition deal with the camp that wins the Presidency after the August 9, general election.
“From our position, we are standing alone but we have given our aspirants the go-ahead to support either of the leading aspirants,” Chelimo said.
“We believe in working together. As per the agenda that we have, you can only achieve them if we work closely with the government,” he added.
Addressing journalists at the party’s headquarters in Nairobi West, Nairobi, Chelimo said the party will not field a presidential candidate but will remain neutral.
“Currently, these parties (Kenya Kwanza and Azimio), cannot even share platforms. It is like a fight. But on our side, we do not see it that way. We have different ways of how things should be done,” he held.
This was the resolution of the party’s National Delegates Convention – the outfit’s top decision making organ – during its meeting held in Nairobi on Saturday.
The NDC also endorsed Chelimo as the party leader to succeed Biwott who passed on in 2017.
Biwott, alias ‘total man’ was a close ally of late former President Daniel Moi.
He founded the party and led it until his death.
The meeting also endorsed Coast politician Marere Wa Mwachai as secretary-general, Johnston Ole Sadera as chairman and Richard Mucheis as deputy secretary-general.
Chelimo, however, reiterated that the party will field candidates from MCA to governor positions across the country.
In the last election, the party won several MCA seats but did not secure any MP, senate or governor seats.
The party boss held that they are putting in place measures, including bankrolling their candidates to improve the outfit’s performance from the 2017 performance.
He said the party has received applications from aspirants across the country seeking to vie for various seats on the party’s ticket.
“We have a number of them (applicants). My team is now compiling the list of all those who have applied before we establish the exact number of aspirants.”
“But the applicants are from Meru, Embu, Narok, Coast, Uasin Gishu, Elgeyo Marakwet, Nandi, Kisii and other areas,” he said.
Chelimo seeks to succeed Elgeyo Marakwet governor Alex Tolgos who vacates the office in August after the general election.
He will face UDA’s Joseph Boinnet and other candidates.
The NVP boss divulged that if elected, his top priority will be to partner with the national government to curb the escalating insecurity in the volatile Kerio Valley region.
At least two people were killed and six others injured by bandits on Sunday in the area.
This was the latest incident in a series of attacks that have rocked the country in the recent past.
He also pledged to economically empower thousands of jobless but educated youths in the country.
“Many youths have completed universities but have no job. If they join the Kerio valley attacks, it will be worse than Al Shabaab,” he said.
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