Former MP in race to succeed the late Mutula Kilonzo

By Daniel Nzia

 Makueni, Kenya: Former Kibwezi MP Philip Kaloki has hit the ground running to capture the vacant Makueni County Senate seat.

Prof Kaloki who will contest the seat on the ruling Jubilee Alliance ticket traversed the expansive county over the weekend in the hunt for votes.

The seat fell vacant following the sudden death of Senator Mutula Kilonzo on April 27 and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission has set the by-election on July 22.

The CORD Alliance through the Wiper affiliate party has picked the late Mutula’s daughter Kethi Diana Kilonzo as its flag bearer.

The party has since declared the seat a “Wiper seat” and promised to do everything at its disposal to retain it through Kethi.

Kethi, who rose to fame during the Supreme Court case challenging the election of President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto, enjoys a massive following in the county.

Kaloki held a series of meetings with various delegates where he urged Makueni residents to vote for him.

Mutula’s agenda

He said he campaigned with the late Mutula when he was seeking the gubernatorial seat and will pursue his (Mutula’s) agenda and vision for the benefit of Makueni residents.

“I closely worked with the late Mutula when he was a Cabinet minister and campaigned along with him in the last General Election and I will strive to fulfill what he stood for,” said Kaloki in a telephone interview with The Standard.

The former Kibwezi legislator acknowledged that the people of Makueni overwhelmingly voted CORD in the hope that it will form the government but lost to Jubilee.

“The region cannot afford to stay out of the Government and therefore I urge Makueni people to vote for me so that I represent them in the national government,” added Kaloki.