• He said voters should be allowed to choose leaders instead of being forced to vote for leaders imposed on them.
• Kizito said the zoning in Western was not well-thought-out and will suppress the number of votes Azimio flagbearer Raila Odinga will get from the region.
Image: FILE
Shinyalu MP Justus Kizito has criticised the use of opinion polls by parties in Azimio to determine the popularity of aspirants, saying it left many voters disenfranchised.
Kizito said some leaders used the method to settle political scores, in the process violating constitutional rights of hopefuls and their supporters.
“This thing known as zoning is unconstitutional because there is no law that supports the same. It is only being used to disenfranchise voters. Every voter has a right to vote for a candidateand forcing their preferred candidates out of the race to create room for others is wrong,” he said.
He said voters should be allowed to choose leaders of their choice instead of being forced to vote for leaders imposed on them.
Kizito said the zoning in Western was not well-thought-out and will suppress the number of votes Azimio flagbearer Raila Odinga will get from the region.
The MP, who is defending his seat on the DAP-K ticket, was addressing supporters in Malimili on Saturday.
Kizito was reacting to remarks by Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya that opinion polls will be held next month to determine popular aspirants among the ODM and DAP-K in Western and ask the rest to back popular candidates.
Oparanya, who is the head of Azimio One Kenya campaigns in Western, said on Sunday that ODM and DAP-K parties have decided to work together ahead of the August polls.
“We have many aspirants as Azimio One Kenya and we have decided that we must come together if we have to win many seats,” Oparanya said.
He spoke after meeting opinion leaders from Likuyani at his Likuyani residence.
Oparanya has on several occasions said the move to field single candidates for elective seats is meant to avoid unhealthy internal competition that would cost the coalition deserved seats.
Edited by A.N