Azimio leader Raila Odinga has been urged to steer clear of the Kisumu woman representative race and not to endorse his sister Ruth.
Valentine Anyango said endorsing Ruth Odinga would send a bad signal to coalition affiliates in the region and open doors to claims of nepotism.
Ruth, who is also the county’s former deputy governor, is the ODM candidate for the post in next month's polls.
Anyango said Raila should let her square it out with Ruth without any form of favouritism or bias. She is running on the MDG party ticket.
“We are in a polygamous home and Raila is our father. Let him not show favouritism to members of just one house known as ODM,” she said.
“It would look so bad if Baba [Raila] lifts his sister’s hand in an attempt to tilt votes on her side.”
Anyango spoke at a media conference flanked by Siaya senatorial candidate James Wambani.
She said she has campaigned and should be allowed to compete fairly with others.
Along with Wambani, they condemned the incident in Siaya, where some aspirants were blocked from Raila’s rallies.
MDG’s Siaya governorship contender Nicholas Gumbo’s convoy was pelted with stones.
The complaint comes after a weeklong campaign blitz by Raila in his Luo Nyanza backyard last week in which he endorsed all ODM candidates. He urged residents to vote in a six-piece pattern.
He, however, did not visit Kisumu in his tour.
Anyango’s plea comes as the Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya coalition is working to contain the backlash over zoning.
The outfit has asked candidates in the coalition fighting for one elective seat to agree on a single candidate.
The import is that those from fringe outfits will be forced to drop their bids in favour of the dominant parties.
ODM is the dominant party in Nyanza.
Edited by A.N
