The Maendeleo Democratic Party has announced support for Azimio la Umoja, which is led by ODM leader Raila Odinga.
Party leader Samuel Omukoko said on Tuesday that they supported ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi until he joined Deputy President William Ruto in the Kenya Kwanza Coalition.
“Mudavadi dropped a bomb and it caused an earthquake that caught some of those with ambitions for elective seats in no-man’s land,” Omukoko said.
"I would have supported Mudavadi if he was clear on his views, but now the closest candidate is Raila," Omukoko said.
He said he will be using the party ticket to contest the Kakamega gubernatorial race since Governor Wycliffe Oparanya is serving his last term.
Omukoko said the party will have a national appeal for all other seats except the presidency and governor. He is the founder of Metropol Corporation Limited, which is the pioneer Credit Reference Bureau in Kenya and Uganda.
He said Raila had endured a lot and his time has come to occupy State House. “Giving this thing [the presidency] a stab five times is not an easy task. He has gone through a lot,” he said.
The announcement dealt Mudavadi yet another blow as he tries to rally the Western region behind the DP Ruto.
Five MPs from Western have already ditched Mudavadi and crossed over to Azimio, leaving ANC a shell.
Mudavadi’s ANC and Moses Wetang’ula’s Ford Kenya have been hit by a wave of defections to the Azimio bandwagon in what is seen as a well choreographed move to neutralise the influence of the two leaders in the vote-rich region.
Mudavadi has been on the receiving end since he joined DP Ruto.
He has been accused of making a unilateral decision to abandon Oka without consultations with other leaders from the region.
While the Western council of elders chaired by former Labour minister Philip Masinde has remained silent since the “earthquake”, Western Elders Forum has declared support for Raila’s presidential bid.
Edited by A.N
