- Chaotic nominations have often cost parties while opponents have also capitalised on sibling rivalries in certain constituencies.
- However, the move does not seem to go down well with some aspirants who feel the party leadership is planning to handpick their preferred candidates.
Image: HILTON OTENYO
Coalitions are working to avoid losing seats to rivals by asking their affiliate parties to agree on a formula that will front one candidate to face their opponents.
The 2022 polls are already promising to be high stakes with Deputy President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga seen as the frontrunners.
Chaotic nominations have often cost parties while opponents have also capitalised on sibling rivalries in certain constituencies.
It appears the parties have learned from the past mistakes and are now working to avoid a repeat.
In western, most parties are working together with those in their coalitions to identify the strongest candidates in their team to contest the political seat.
In 2017, Raila who was the Nasa coalition presidential candidate described internal competitions as friendly fires.
However he later complained that the sibling rivalry cost the coalition seats that they deserved to win, denying it crucial numbers in Parliament.
Parties are now asking aspirants to engage each other in negotiations and agree on who among them will face their rivals.
ODM is working in collaboration with the ruling Jubilee party under the Azimio la Umoja movement.
They have announced that they will use pollsters to determine the popular aspirants to be handed tickets to vie for various seats.
Deputy party leader Wycliffe Oparanya said they will carry out opinion polls on all aspirants this February to identify the most popular ones to be issued with tickets.
“What you need is go to the ground and sell your manifesto so that when the research is done people will pick you as their preferred candidate,” Oparanya told aspirants at a meeting in Kakamega two weeks ago.
However, the move does not seem to go down well with some aspirants who feel the party leadership is planning to handpick their preferred candidates.
ODM is pushing for joint primaries in the Azimio to get the numbers.
The newly formed DAP-K headed by Kanduyi MP Wafula Wamunyinyi has ruled out joint nominations for the general election.
Wamunyinyi has, however, said there is need for parties to agree on a single candidate against Ford Kenya leader Senator Moses Wetang’ula to push him into political oblivion in August.
On Saturday, Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala said that he will consult with Boni Khalwale to pick who should drop his bid for the other.
Malala and Khalwalwe have all declared their interest in succeeding Oparanya in the Kakamega governor seat.
“I can assure you that we will not compete with Khalwale in Kenya Kwanza, we will sit down and talk until there is a white smoke,” he said.
Others in the Kakamega gubernatorial race are Deputy governor Philip Kutima, former Ketraco CEO Fernandes Barasa and Shinyalu MP Justus Kizito.
The aforementioned leaders have been asked by ODM to talk and agree on who among them will fly the party ticket.