Raila Odinga to kick off tour with rallies in Kisii

Azimio la Umoja flagbearer Raila Odinga in Butula, Busia County. [Emmanuel Wanson, Standard] 

 After several weeks of intense campaigns in various parts of the country, Azimio la Umoja One Kenya presidential candidate Raila Odinga will tomorrow pitch tent in Kisii as he seeks to ring-fence a voting bloc that has been steadfast behind his previous bids.

Raila is expected to use the opportunity to call on residents to ensure they turn out in large numbers to vote for his bid to guarantee him a strong performance in the larger Nyanza region.

The move is part of the efforts to ensure that he garners a majority of the 600,000 votes in the county and deny his competitor, William Ruto of United Democratic Alliance (UDA), any significant votes.

Raila will hold two major rallies at UDA’s point man Sylvanus Osoro’s home turf of Nyamarambe and Chitago in South Mugirango constituency.

In a statement issued by John Mbadi, the chairman of the Presidential Campaign Board in Nyanza region said the two rallies will all be held on Monday afternoon.

“The programme for visiting the rest of Nyanza region counties will be circulated in due course, '' read the statement.

The visit comes amid fears failure to address disagreements among Azimio candidates for various seats could hurt Raila's support.

In 2017, ODM worked out a negotiated formula and managed to clinch all county seats and a majority of MCAs despite having lost all parliamentary seats in the county.

Dagoretti North MP Simba Arati (ODM), Kisii Senator Sam Ongeri (DA-K), Chris Obure (Jubilee) and Manson Nyamweya (KNC) have been cleared by IEBC to run for governor.

In the race for senator, Jubilee is fielding Omingo Magara while ODM's candidate is Kisii Chache South MP Richard Onyonka. Kanu is also fielding Ken Omanga.

 Woman Rep Janet Ongera is defending her seat but the race has been made complex thanks to Arati's support for Doris Donya (Wiper). Jubilee's candidate is Peris Onsarigo while DAP-K has Jackline Karani.

 Arati says that both Ongeri and Obure should drop their bid and he will tap them as advisors. “We need change in our county leadership. Kisii is yearning for generational change in politics.”

Obure maintains that it is the people who will decide on who to vote for. “I will not be carried away by emotions but rather what my people want. We are in a competition and let the best candidate win.”

Prof Ongeri says his move to join DAP-K was to ensure the community approaches the 2022 elections as an undivided Azimio La Umoja bloc.

"This is to accord the entire electorate the full participatory democracy opportunity in the electoral process of vetting its leaders," he said.