NASA lays out strategy to bag Rift Valley votes

NASA presidential candidate Raila Odinga and his running mate Kalonzo Musyoka during a rally in Bomet. [Photo: Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

The National Super Alliance (NASA) intensified campaigns in the Rift Valley with calls to voters to reject Jubilee on August 8.

Speaking in Bomet County Saturday, NASA presidential candidate Raila Odinga said President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto can no longer be trusted with the leadership of the country.

Raila claimed that Jubilee has leaders who were involved in corruption scandals like the National Youth Service and Eurobond. “Jubilee’s second name is corruption. Look at the people they have fronted to contest elective seats like former Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru. You cannot trust Jubilee anymore.”

The former Prime Minister reiterated his commitment to fight graft saying all the five principals have signed an agreement not do business with the NASA government.

He promised to fulfill all the policies in the NASA manifesto saying they cannot be compared to what Jubilee released.

“The difference between us and them is that we will implement everything that we promised Kenyans because we have concrete ideas that target the youth and create an upward social mobility for them.”

Once again the Opposition alliance made fresh demands to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to expunge dead voters from the register before the polls. NASA co-principal Moses Wetang’ula called on IEBC to release the audit report by KPMG as required by law which reportedly expunged 88,602 dead voters from the register.

“The names of voters who died as early as 2013 were discovered to be still on the register, while other voters had registered using ID numbers that do not exist in the national database of registrar of persons,” the Senator said.

Raila’s running mate Kalonzo Musyoka dismissed claims that NASA was planning to isolate the Kikuyu community once in power.

“We have heard people composing songs claiming that NASA is targeting to isolate the Kikuyu and that they should come out in large numbers on August 8 to defend their presidency. Our intention is to bring peace to all Kenyans,” he said.

NASA co-principal Musalia Mudavadi asked Kenyans to reject any attempts to rig the polls saying NASA will unite the country.

Earlier, before addressing the rally at the Bomet Green stadium, NASA principals held a closed-door meeting with teachers’ unions officials, the local business community and the Myoot Kipsigis council of elders to strategise on how to win a share of the 4.6 million votes in Rift Valley.

Raila enlisted the help of Knut Secretary General Wilson Sossion, Kenya Union of Post Primary School Teachers led by Paul Kimetto and the elders.

Mr Sossion said he would rally teachers to back Raila’s bid adding that the NASA manifesto was keen on education and issues related to teachers.

Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto claimed there was a skewed allocation of resources by the government against the South Rift region which remained under developed compared to the North Rift region.

“Development and state resources have been channeled to the backyard of the DP as the South Rift Counties are sidelined. It is an issue the President must address himself,” Ruto said.

The elders installed Governor Ruto as the Kipsigis community spokesperson.