•The coalition has about 26 parties, most of which are fielding candidates in various positions.
•Selecting one candidate for each position will help the coalition to consolidate its efforts and better support them.
Image: Alice Waithera
Parties affiliated with the Azimio La Umoja will select candidates who will represent the alliance in the forthcoming elections before the end of this month.
This is in order to avoid fragmentation of votes that may give their opponents an upper hand.
According to the coalition’s deputy presidential candidate Martha Karua, consolidation of the candidates will also enable the coalition to better campaign for its flag bearers.
The alliance has a total of 26 parties, most of which are fielding candidates in most elective positions.
But Karua sought to assure candidates that the process of selecting the candidates will be transparent and that they will be fully involved.
“As a coalition, we have to get the strongest candidate to ensure we win in most of the positions but candidates should not be afraid, the process will include everybody,” she said, noting that only candidates without competitors in the coalition will be spared.
In Murang’a, gubernatorial aspirant Jamleck Kamau and woman representative candidate Waithira Muithirania are assured that they will be on the ballot as they are the only ones vying for the positions under the coalition.
Karua who was speaking at Murang’a Teachers’ College during a meeting with community health workers organized by Kamau further made a passionate appeal to Kenyans to keenly vet the voters they vote for during the election.
Karua said it beats logic that most Kenyans would never employ workers of questionable character yet support national leaders incriminated of misappropriation of public resources.
“You all know the characters of the people vying for various positions. You know the ones who have been mentioned in graft scandals. Someone’s wealth cannot satisfy us all. Let us not be impressed by hand-outs and get people who will manage our resources appropriately,” she said.
Image: Alice Waithera
Since her appointment as Raila’s deputy, Karua has toured the Central region severally and has vowed to undo Deputy President William Ruto’s gains in the region.
She told Murang’a residents that she did not join Azimio blindly and that it was after determining that it was the team that had Kenyans’ interests at heart.
“You had me say earlier that I was looking for a team that I could work with, people who are faithful to the interests of Kenyans. After searching for some time, I realized Azimio had enough leaders with a history of fighting for Kenyans,” she said.
“Stop giving the excuse that we promised someone something. If someone got promised some things, it is not the end of the world. I was also promised things in 2013 and 2017 and I got nothing,” she added.
She said it is Raila who went to former President Mwai Kibaki’s side when he needed help in 2002 and supported president Uhuru Kenyatta in 2018 in the ‘handshake’ in order to restore peace in the country.
Majority of the major roads being implemented by the Jubilee government were designed during Kibaki’s tenure when Raila served as the Roads minister, Karua added.
She noted that Raila has a history of always fighting for the rights of Kenyans whether he is in or out of the government.
“I am here to tell you that you know Raila, you are only pretending that you don’t. Why are you looking for another driver when you have such a leader?” she asked.
While outlining Raila’s manifesto, Karua assured Kenyans that their administration will find ways of paying the national debts saying they have a roadmap of how they will rejuvenate the economy.
She however cautioned their supporters against treating their competitors as their enemies saying politics is just a competition.
“We do not hate them but even as a parent, you know which among your children you cannot be sent to the market because they will not bring back change,” she said amid locals’ cheers.
The coalition, she further pointed out, will dedicatedly fight graft, especially with her serving as the Justice Cabinet secretary.
She also underscored the need for Kenyans to vote for good leaders from the MCA position to the governor seat saying they will affect the incoming government’s delivery of services.
Leaders present include MPs Peter Kimari (Mathioya), Nduati Ngugi (Gatanga) and Wangari Mwaniki (Kigumo), and aspirants vying through Azimio La Umoja member parties