Jubilee and CORD teams ready for Bungoma, Kisii by-elections

By Geoffrey Mosoku

Kenya: Jubilee and CORD alliances are preparing for a bruising battle after picking candidates for the December 19 by-elections in Bungoma and Kisii.

Both coalitions are determined to make a statement as CORD seeks to stamp its authority in a region considered its bedrock while Jubilee goes out to make inroads into the area where it performed poorly during the March 4 elections.

CORD will be backing Ford Kenya’s Moses Wetang’ula for the Bungoma senatorial seat against his bitter rival Musikari Kombo of New Ford Kenya.

Monday, Jubilee alliance announced that it will not be fielding any candidate in Bungoma but will instead be supporting Kombo’s quest.

“I am seeing a lot of confusion on the papers. Just to be clear, neither TNA nor URP is fielding a candidate in Bungoma. We are supporting Kombo,” TNA chairman Johnson Sakaja said in a statement.

And in Kisii County, TNA will be fielding Joel Onyancha and Robert Monda for Bomachoge Borabu and Nyaribari Chache constituencies respectively. The two have already been assured of nomination certificates.

The decision to pick Monda, who held the seat in the 10th Parliament, was arrived at after intense consultations within TNA after Richard Tong’i, who successfully petitioned Bichage’s election decamped from his party Wiper to TNA.

It’s not clear now which party the ex-wiper candidate will pick after losing the Jubilee ticket to Monda. ODM Monday maintained that it has validly nominated Peter Kimori in Bomachoge Borabu and Chris Bichage in Nyaribari Chache.