• This comes a week after he opened a similar office in Kajiado.
• Wanjigi’s decision to vie through the ODM party was because he is a founder and life member who has supported it with his funds
Image: Kurgat Marindany
Businessman Jimmy Wanjigi will open a parallel ODM office in Murang’a before the end of the week.
It will run parallel to another existing office and will be used for his campaigns in the county.
The office will also help to win over delegates that will support Wanjigi during the party nominations.
This comes a week after he opened a similar office in Kajiado where he reiterated that he will contest for the presidential candidature of the ODM party against its leader Raila Odinga.
Wanjigi’s county campaigns coordinator Ngugi Mburu said the current ODM office located at Kenol has been dormant.
“We are competing. We want a separate office for Wanjigi and the rest who support other leaders can operate from the old offices,” he told the Star.
The team is focusing on counties in Mt Kenya and diaspora and will open offices in each.
“We started with Kajiado and we will be opening an office each week, the next county in line will be Nyeri,” he said
The counties, he pointed out, have the highest populations which he said will go a long way in boosting Wanjigi’s chances.
“Every ward produces two delegates. A county such as Kiambu has 65 wards while Murang’a has 35,” he said.
Each of the counties has a team that is coordinating Wanjigi’s campaigns.
Ngugi said Wanjigi’s decision to vie through the ODM party was because he is a founder and life member who has supported it with his funds.
He said ODM is a democratic party that has a national outlook and would increase his chances of being elected president once he clinches the nominations.
He is confident that Wanjigi will trump other parties in the region to rally residents behind him.
“Most of the parties registered by leaders in the region are too local unlike ODM which is a national party,” he said.
This comes as leaders from 11 parties from the region are set to meet in Thika town, Kiambu to discuss the region’s future.
Last week, Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua met with The Service Party leader Mwangi Kiujuri and Chama Cha Kazi leader Moses Kuria and announced that they would reach out to all parties with a reach in the region to discuss succession politics.
A host of leaders with presidential aspirations have been trooping to the region that is expected to be a swing vote with the lack of a clear aspirant.
Murang’a Governor Mwangi wa Iria and National Assembly speaker Justin Muturi have announced their presidential bids.
However, Ngugi said with the region’s history of not backing Raila, Wanjigi has a better chance of getting it to fully support the party.
“We know some national leaders are said to be supporting Raila but Wanjigi is not being fronted by anybody,” he said.
“We want to prove people wrong and when we get the nominations then we will have the best chance because will be in a national party.”
Party officials who congregated in Murang’a last week from all parts of the Central region said though ODM has been a hard party to sell, residents are now embracing it because of its longevity.
They said anybody willing to join the party should join it openly and not through backdoors, and work with the existing officials.
John Gacheru, Nyeri organising secretary, said ODM is a democratic party and that it is national delegates that determine who will flag the party.
“We have no issues with Wanjigi but let him work with us so we can build the party together,” he said.
Grace Njoki, the organiser of the ODM women league in Central, said they will not support anybody that opens parallel offices yet there are existing offices facilitated from the ODM headquarters.
“Anybody who wants to vie is free to help recruit members because we want numbers in the party but should not open new offices. We do not want fights at the party,” she said.
Njoki urged women to come out and vie for political positions through the party.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris