The battle for the Kakamega governor’s seat has intensified as rival parties position themselves to clinch it in the August 9 General Election.
The key parties are Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), Amani National Congress of Musalia Mudavadi and Democratic Action Party-Kenya (DAP-K), headed by Eugene Wamalwa.
ODM and DAP-K, which are under the Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya Alliance coalition, are still locked in sibling rivalry and facing a headache in picking their flagbearers for the seat, intensifying the jostling for the position.
Kakamega Deputy Governor Philip Kutima defected from ODM last month and joined DAP-K, accusing Governor Wycliffe Oparanya of frustrating his bid to succeed him.
Mr Odinga endorsed Mr Barasa for the seat during his four-day campaign tour of the Western region last month.
But the decision has triggered disquiet among other aspirants, including Shinyalu MP Justus Kizito.
Mr Kizito, who took over as the ODM Kakamega County chairman after the defection of Prof Kutima to DAP-K, had declared he was in the race for the governor’s seat.
Governor Oparanya, the ODM deputy party leader, has been accused of orchestrating the decision to hand direct nomination certificates to MPs who defected from ANC to ODM and DAP-K.
In Kakamega County, MPs Tindi Mwale (Butere), Christopher Aseka (Khwisero), Titus Khamala (Lurambi), Peter Nabulindo (Matungu) and Emmanuel Wangwe (Navakholo) were issued with ODM nomination certificates during the third day of Mr Odinga’s tour.
The party is reported to have relied on opinion polls that indicated the MPs were more popular for the parliamentary seats.
ODM aspirants in Malava, Mumias West, Lugari and Likuyani will have to battle out in primaries on Thursday next week.
Lugari MP Ayub Savula on Tuesday maintained he was in the race for the governorship position in DAP-K despite earlier indications from the party that Prof Kutima could clinch the party ticket.
Mr Savula, who was on the campaign trail in Kakamega town, said he was the best suited to fly the DAP-K flag.
“I will be bringing on board voters from the northern bloc in our county, which is quite a substantial number. The other aspirants are disadvantaged because they do not have solid backing from their backyards,” he said.
“DAP-K is a serious party and we stand a good chance of clinching the governorship if we make the right decisions. We do not want to gamble and lose the seat to our competitors,” he said.
ANC, an affiliate of the Kenya Kwanza alliance, has settled on Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala as the flagbearer after former Kakamega senator Boni Khalwale quit the race.
Senator Malala and Dr Khalwale said they had struck a deal on the issue after lengthy consultations with Deputy President William Ruto, Mr Mudavadi and Ford Kenya’s Moses Wetang’ula.
Senator Malala has been campaigning aggressively across the 12 sub-counties in Kakamega, asking voters to give him the chance to serve as their next governor.
Campaigning in Likuyani constituency, Senator Malala said: “I have served as an MCA and senator. And now I have set my eyes on the governorship seat. I know the problems ordinary people in the villages face. That’s why I want to make a difference in their lives.”
Senator Malala promises to empower the unemployed young people by creating job opportunities and ensuring they are awarded contracts to rehabilitate rural roads in their villages.
