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Only the tough will survive in Kisii primaries

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Published on Friday, 16 November 2007 23:36
It will be confusion galore in all the ten constituencies in Kisii over whether PNU affiliates will go it alone or conduct joint nominations. "We cannot agree with other PNU affiliate parties on the way forward. We will now meet at the ballot box, but we will all campaign for Kibaki," said former nominated MP, Ms Catherine Nyamato.

Ford People has granted four outgoing MPs direct nominations while six others have been left to face it off with their opponents. Ford-People has also pulled out of PNU joint nominations in Kisii, even as last minute efforts by Mr Sam Nyamweya, the Kibaki campaign co-ordinator in Kisii, to strike a balance between various aspirants failed on Wednesday.

Nyamweya had wanted the aspirants to rally behind those who stand a better chance of winning seats for Narc- Kenya. Preliminaries for the party will be held in all constituencies except West Mugirango, North Mugirango and Kitutu Chache. Divisions have also emerged in ODM, with members who declared their support for Raila after the referendum claiming they were being sidelined by those who joined ODM earlier.

"We have built a solid ODM base in Gusiiland which some people ‘who were nowhere then’ want to reap from," protested Mr Timothy Bosire from Kitutu-Masaba. Stiff competition for the ODM ticket is expected in almost all constituencies with the exception of Kitutu-Chache today.In Nyaribari-Chache, six contestants will fight it out and the winner will then face Cabinet minister, Mr Simeon Nyachae at the polls. The five include Mr Barnabas Ariga, Mr Chris Bichage, Mr Nyakundi Onchiri, Mr Kerosi Ondieki, Dr Robert Monda, and Mr Ben Mogaka.

"Genuine ODM aspirants have agreed on a number of issues, including polling centres. There are some whose commitment to ODM we doubt but we will face them at the nominations," Bichage said. The disqualification of Mr Aunga Bwonderi from the ODM race for the South Mugirango ticket against party treasurer, Mr Omingo Magara, ended what would have been an interesting contest.

Magara was accorded direct nomination, thus saving him the rigours of battling it out with his opponents.