Jubilee fails to present candidate for Kitui West by-election

Kitui West Wiper candidate Edith Nyenze celebrate her vistory alongside supporters after she was declared winner by the Returning Officer Mr. Francis Kivindu after the just concluded Kitui West Constituency nominations, 16th January 2018. [Photo/DENNIS KAVISU]

Jubilee Party now supports Wiper Party candidate Edith Nyenze for the Kitui West parliamentary by-election.

According to the party’s secretary general Raphael Tuju, Jubilee will not present any candidate for the by-election.

Edith Nyenze is the widow of the late Kitui West Member of Parliament Francis Nyenze who died on December 6, 2017 after fighting colon cancer for several years.

Edith clinched the Wiper ticket with 13,338 votes against her sole rival Maluki Kitili’s 2, 663 votes.

The nominations rekindled an epic political battle that dated to the 1970s when the Nyiva-Nyenze families were pitted against each other.

Maluki Kitili is the son of former Cabinet minister Nyiva Mwendwa who have dominated the parliamentary seat since 1974.

Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Senator Enoch Wambua now welcome the withdrawal of Jubilee from the Kitui West parliamentary seat, say move was informed by realization that Jubilee would have suffered a humiliating defeat in race

Kalonzo is expected to hand over the nomination certificate to Edith Nyenze today afternoon.