CORD leaders optimistic of retaining seat in Monday’s Kajiado Central by-election

CORD ended its campaigns in Kajiado Central on a high note, exuding confidence it will retain the seat in tomorrow’s by-election.

All the coalitions top brass were on the campaign trail. They, however, warned the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to watch out against any attempts to rig the poll.

The coalition has lined-up its MPs to be ‘super agents’ in each of the 102 polling stations in the constituency tomorrow, with MCAs also being roped in for support among other hired agents. It emerged during the campaigns that Siaya Senator James Orengo, who is the coalition’s  lawyer, had been detailed to file a case in court against the Jubilee Alliance Party (JAP) leaders over misuse of public resources in the campaigns.

While for JAP it’s a test-run for the ruling coalition’s 2017 campaign vehicle, CORD leaders say Kajiado Central is a rehearsal for their battle to wrestle power from Jubilee.

“Each of the polling station will have an MP as a key agent,” said CORD co-principal and Ford-Kenya party leader Moses Wetangula in a closed-door meeting at Embeuti Resort in Kajiado town on Thursday.

Another CORD co-principal Kalonzo Musyoka and Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho warned IEBCnot to manipulate the outcome of the by-election.

“JAP says it will win at all cost but we are telling them not to try rigging,” said Kalonzo while addressing CORD supporters at Bisil township.

“Orengo is already working on papers to sue President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto for misuse of public resources. On Monday the entire government was here, with choppers in the air, vehicles on the ground and red-carpets,” said Wetangula. The Senate Minority leader reminded voters in Kajiado Central that Jubilee has never beaten CORD in a by-election since the 2013 General Election. And a confident Memusi has equally told voters to ignore the ‘psychological warfare’ wedged by JAP and vote with their conscience without any distraction.

Campaign teams

ODM leader Raila Odinga is away in Morocco but Wetang’ula and Kalonzo led high-profile campaigns on Thursday and Friday.

Before his departure to Morroco, Raila had on Wednesday combed parts of the constituency, with special focus on the border town of Namanga. On Thursday, Wetangula, Orengo and Senators Johnstone Muthama (Machakos), Moses Kajwang (Homa-Bay), Nairobi Governor Dr Evans Kidero, Kajiado Governor Dr David Nkedianye and several MPs led by ODM’s Director of Elections Junet Mohamed led road-shows in Kajiado town before hitting the road for a campaign rally at Eiti.

Wetangula and Muthama said Raila had asked them alongside Kalonzo and other senior CORD leaders to camp in Kajiado and deliver victory for Memusi and CORD. Kidero, quoting the biblical book of Samuel 17, said the Kajiadio Central contest was a battle between David (CORD) and Goliath (JAP) and that at the end of the day, David will win.