CORD and Jubilee trade accusations

From left: Nairobi Senator Mike Sonko, Malindi by-election candidate Philip Charo and Deputy President Willam Ruto at Shela grounds during a campaign rally for Mr Charo yesterday. [PHOTO: GIDEON MAUNDU/STANDARD]

CORD and Jubilee leaders yesterday lashed out at each other over use of public resources in the Malindi by-election campaigns.

CORD leaders presented a petition to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission IEBC accusing their Jubilee counterparts of using State resources to campaign for Philip Charo.

The Opposition partly demanded that State officers using Government resources in the campaigns be surcharged.

The two coalitions are now concentrating their campaigns in Shella and Malindi town wards where close to half of the 57,000 voters in the constituency are registered.

Deputy President William Ruto yesterday held meetings in Furunzi outside Malindi town and later at Shella playgrounds while CORD leaders including ODM candidate Willy Mtengo held theirs at Mere, where the DP held a rally on Monday.

“The DP flew into Malindi for campaigns for the Jubilee candidate using a military helicopter and other Government resources. This amounts to conferring a personal benefit from public resources. This is the face of corruption,” ODM General Secretary Ababu Namwamba said after handing over the petition to IEBC officials in Malindi.

Jubilee leaders hit back accusing Mombasa and Kilifi governors of using county government resources to campaign for Mtengo.

“We are aware that they are using the county vehicles and money to erect billboards for their candidate and their party leaders. And I ask them to come clean whether Kilifi County has been paid for the billboards,” said Nairobi Senator Mike Sonko.

Host of Issues

Yesterday Mr Ruto met religious leaders, MCAs allied to Jubilee and representatives from the pastoralist communities to rally support for Mr Charo. The DP held over six meetings between Monday night and yesterday where he spelt out several infrastructural projects the national government has implemented in the constituency. He held two rallies in Furusa, Ganda ward and Shella in Malindi town.

Malindi leaders cited a host of issues affecting the people including insecurity, lack of identification cards, infrastructure, water provision and lack of land title deeds.

“The Government wants to resolve once and for all the land problems in the Coast so that no one can use it as a campaign tool again,” Ruto said.