Cast your net wider, Kalonzo told

By Maseme Machuka and Daniel Nzia

Leaders from Ukambani have urged Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka to seek votes from other communities ahead of 2012.

The leaders asked Mr Kalonzo, who hosted five MPs and civic leaders from the 17 constituencies, to let them deal with local campaigns while he moves to other areas.

Speakers at the meeting held at Kangundo MP Johnston Muthama’s Machakos residence asked the VP to take the presidential bid in the 2012 General Election seriously.

"We want to take charge of this region and relieve the VP of this burden to give him a chance to go to the other areas. We must stand firm as a region if we are to make any headway," said Mr Muthama.

MPs Philip Kaloki (Makueni), Victor Munyaka (Machakos) and Itwiku Mbau (Masinga) attended the meeting.

In the bag

Mr Kilonzi Iguna, a civic leader from Kitui, asked the VP to stop wasting his time campaigning in Ukambani where he was popular.

Kalonzo, who steered out of the 2012 issue, said the community needed to speak in one voice to address issues affecting them.

"We have pressing issues... Drought is now prone to this area and in this planting season we need to position our people to get the help they need," he said.

He defended the PNU coalition saying it would not lose grip after the humiliating defeats in last week’s by-elections in Bomachoge and Shinyalu constituencies.

"Let us not judge the mood of the country by looking at the by-elections... There were factors that played out like the party that our candidate was originally in (Ford-People) that he ditched and others. We are still formidable as a coalition," said Kalonzo.

Kalonzo came a distant third in the highly disputed 2007 presidential election.

 

 

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