Sunday, July 21, 2013

Tough talking Coalition for Reforms and Democracy unveils Mutula Jnr for Makueni

Updated Saturday, July 20th 2013 at 23:04 GMT +3


By DANIEL NZIA and ONESMUS NZIOKA
CORD family on Saturday trooped to Makueni County to unveil and drum up support for their senate candidate Mutula Kilonzo junior.
Led by Cord luminaries Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka, the alliance senators, parliamentarians and other local leaders thronged the Unoa Primary School grounds where they unveiled Kilonzo junior as their flag bearer.
Mutula junior walked into Unoa Primary School play grounds where his sister Kethi was unveiled on June 27 by the CORD brigade.
The other CORD leaders included senators Johnson Muthama, David Musila, James Orengo, MPS Daniel Maanzo, Richard Makenga, Francis Nyenze, Wafula Wamunyinyi, John Munuve, Peter Mathuki, Jakoyo Midiwo, Benard Kitung’i, Makueni County Women Representative Rose Museo and a host of county assembly members.
In his acceptance speech of the CORD nomination, Mutula junior asked the Makueni voters to wipe tears of the Mutula family by electing him to succeed his father.
“All the votes you had planned to cast for that beautiful sister of mine Kethi, give them to me on July 26”, he pleaded. He thanked Makueni people for voting for his late father in huge numbers and regretted that he (Mutula) died before he could return to thank them for the gesture. Mutula Jnr cautionedMakueni residents against engaging in acts of violence and instead upholds peace between now and the voting day.
Raila and Kalonzo led the Cord leaders in attacking the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission for the manner in which it has handled the Kethi voter registration saga.
Political belief
Raila tore into the integrity of the electoral body accusing unnamed top commission officials of engaging in what he termed mega corruption.
“We know those behind the loss of billions meant for the purchase electronic voter identification devices and we will name and shame them when the right time comes,” said the former premier.
He said CORD will visit the IEBC offices on Sunday and demand to know the biometric data the body will use for the Makueni by-election. Kalonzo claimed Kethi was being persecuted for her firm political belief, adding her tribulations began when she said she could not work with her father’s enemies.
“They decided to make sure she is locked out of the race at all costs,” said Kalonzo.  The former VP claimed the Government wanted to arrest and prosecute Kethi but warned such a move will be counterproductive as it would construed to mean trying Makueni residents and Kenyans at large.
Kalonzo accused former Kibwezi MP Prof Philip Kaloki of betraying the Kamba community by ditching Wiper that had groomed him as a politician to Jubilee.
He cautioned Kaloki against auctioning the Kamba community saying he risked being cursed. “Tell Kaloki to run away from Jubilee as quickly and fast as possible,” he teased. Wiper chairman David Musila cautioned Makueni voters against boycotting the election over Kethi’s fate, saying that would be tantamount to giving a win to their ‘enemies’.
Musila said he and Muthama will hold Mutula junior’s hand and show him the way across the murky path of politics if the voters give him the mandate. “Will you vote for junior?” Musila asked the gathering to which the people answered in the affirmative.
Muthama also claimed the authorities wanted him arrested over alleged hate speech so that he did not campaign for Mutula Jnr.
He however declared that he feared nothing saying such threats will not cow him. “Jubilee wants to intimidate me to stop campaigning for Wiper in this election. I want to tell them that I am ready to die or go to jail for the sake of Kamba community and Kilonzo to win this seat,” said Muthama. Muthama said he and Kalonzo are grooming young politicians, the likes of Kilonzo junior, to take the mantle of leadership because they are aging.
Makueni governor Prof. Kivutha Kibwana said there is no difference between Kilonzo junior and Kethi, urging the residents to vote for junior as they would have done with Kethi.
Pushed Kenyans
Orengo claimed the Jubilee Government has pushed Kenyans to the wall citing its failure to bring down prices of essential foodstuffs as they had promised. He agreed with Kalonzo that IEBC is TNA and TNA is IEBC adding that the electoral body must be disbanded. “We cannot go to another general election with the current IEBC. It is worse than the former electoral body, ECK. We must put in office a new commission that knows how to count votes”, said Orengo.
TIP leader Kalembe Ndile called for the resignation of IEBC chairman Isaack Hassan, saying Kenyans had lost trust in him. Wamunyinyi said the precedent IEBC has set could plunge the country into chaos just like its predecessor ECK did in 2008 when it bungled the election that led to the post election violence.
“People fought in 2008 because of similar mistakes that IEBC is making. We will use all means to make sure this commission is overhauled before any other election is held,” said Wamunyinyi.

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