NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 19 — Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Secretary General Edwin Sifuna has fired at Jubilee Party saying the Uhuru Kenyatta-led outfit overpromised and underdelivered.
Responding to newspaper reports that Jubilee was considering ending ties with ODM whose candidate, Raila Odinga, the party backed, Sifuna cautioned their allies against “taking them us a ride.”
Sifuna was responding to claims by a section of Jubilee party members that they did their part in ensuring that Azimio got millions of votes from the region, and that they had settled Odinga’s political debt in the 2022 elections.
Jubilee Party Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni had reportedly taken credit for delivering what he termed as overwhelming support for Odinga in a region that traditionally shunned him.
The Nairobi Senator said that even though Odinga managed 490,000 more votes than he did in 2017, the former ruling party did little to contribute votes in Odinga’s favor.
Former Nyeri MP Ngunjiri Wambugu who also suffered defeat in the General Election added his voice to Kioni’s statement saying Odinga even got more votes in Nyeri than he (Wambugu) did, adding that his support for Odinga cost him his MP seat.
“Someone tell Sifuna that Raila got more votes in Nyeri town than I did. He should remember that his supporting Raila enabled him get elected, while my association with Raila ensured I did not get elected,” Wambugu claimed.
The Jubilee leaders’ sentiments came just days after lawmakers from Mt. Kenya from across the political divide regrouped in a rare show of unity and voted for candidates from the region in the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) elections.
This was despite a Parliamentary Group meeting hosted by President William Ruto endorsed five out of fifteen candidates cleared by the party in an internal vote.
The State House meeting settled on Hassan Omar Hassan, Fred Muteti, Zipporah Kering, David Sankok and Falhada Dekow as UDA representatives for the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA).
Godfrey Karobia who lost in the secret ballot elections conducted during the party’s PG meeting reemerged making it as the fourth in the Kenya Kwanza Alliance list following a vote by the House and the Senate.
Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga on Friday claimed UDA lawmakers from the region crafted a plan that saw Azimio’s Kanini Kega elected alongside Godfrey Karobia (UDA) effectively locking out Fred Muteti who was among the five candidates endorsed by the PG.
