ODM: It’s Ruto vs Joho in Msambweni by election

ODM has framed the Msambweni parliamentary by-election as a contest between Deputy President William Ruto and the party’s deputy leader Hassan Joho.  

ODM officials yesterday tried to downplay suggestions by their rivals that the December 15 vote will be a showdown between the DP and their party leader Raila Odinga.

Instead, ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna and Director of Elections Junet Mohamed fronted the Mombasa governor as the leader of their campaigns for the poll that they termed a battle of the deputies.

“It will be deputy versus deputy. We have a total of three by-elections at the Coast and we’re working to bag all the seats,” Mr Sifuna said, referring to civic by-elections in Dabaso Ward, Kilifi and Wundanyi/Mbale Ward in Taita.

“Joho is his match. We’re planning to reduce the contest to one between him [Ruto] and Joho and not between him and Raila,” Mr Mohamed said.

Withdraw from race

DP Ruto is also the deputy party leader of Jubilee, which declined to field a candidate in the Msambweni by-election, citing President Kenyatta’s handshake with Mr Odinga.

The DP grudgingly accepted his party’s decision to withdraw from the race, but a day later, he paraded independent candidate Feisal Bader at his official residence in Karen. 

ODM is fronting former Gombato/Bongwe MCA Omar Boga to recapture the seat that fell vacant following the death of the party’s Suleiman Dori.

The Ruto camp has insisted they are up against the ODM party leader.  “We must defeat Raila in Msambweni. We can redefine our political future with victory. We, as Coast people, do not need Raila to negotiate our destiny,” former Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar said last week.

Coast MPs Aisha Jumwa (Malindi), Athman Shariff (Lamu East), Owen Baya (Kilifi North), Khatib Mwashetani (Lungalunga) and Mohammed Ali (Nyali) were present at the DP’s residence when he presented Mr Bader.

Mr Bader has fought off the tag that he is the DP’s project.

“Running for the seat as an independent candidate should not be seen as though I’m Ruto’s project. I read malice in ODM and opted out. I urge my competitors to conduct peaceful campaigns. I’m confident that I will carry the day,” Mr Bader said last week.

Successful party primaries

But Mr Boga said: “We will win this seat even if the Tangatanga team camps here.”

Other candidates in the race are Wiper’s Shee Abdulrahman and United Green Movement party’s Liganje Mwakaonje.

Yesterday, Mr Sifuna claimed the DP’s camp had panicked following ODM’s successful party primaries.

Mr Mohamed told the DP to prepare for another loss like in the Kibra parliamentary by-election in November last year.

At the time, the Deputy President campaigned for Jubilee’s McDonald Mariga, who lost to ODM’s Imran Okoth. A faction of Jubilee allied to President Kenyatta that was led by nominated MP Maina Kamanda campaigned for the ODM candidate.

Support the ‘Handshake’

Yesterday, Jubilee Vice-Chairman David Murathe said the party will back the ODM candidate,  who he dubbed the ‘Handshake’ candidate. “For us, we will support the ‘Handshake’ candidate. Let them continue with their defiance against the party leader and the party’s position,” he said. Mr Bader got Dr Ruto’s endorsement on September 24, a day after Jubilee Secretary-General Raphael Tuju announced that the ruling party had bowed out of the race.