The sheer numbers and the impact of independent candidates in this year’s General Election will make Kenya’s politics more dynamic and help nurture true democracy, Kiambu Governor William Kabogo says.
More than 4,000 aspirants have been cleared by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to contest various seats. This will be the first time in Kenya’s history that such a large number of hopefuls will not be directly allied to a political party.
Saturday, Governor Kabogo, who lost the Jubilee Party ticket to Kabete MP Ferdinard Waititu, said the success of independents will usher in a new era and force political parties to style up and strengthen internal organs.
“Currently, no political party has the resources or strong structures to conduct a credible nomination. This makes the exercise prone to manipulation, threats and outright favouritism,” he said.
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Mr Kabogo, while terming the Jubilee nominations a sham, said he had since moved on and was now charting a new chapter in his political career as the chairman of the Kenya Alliance of Independent Candidates (KAIC). “There should be no fear that the President or the leader of Opposition may lose influence in Parliament or Senate with the victory of most independents. This will only make debate in Parliament more vibrant and beneficial to the common man,” he said.
He spoke Saturday as the KAIC, which he chairs, camped in Nyeri for a vote-hunting mission. Also at the meeting were Uasin Gishu gubernatorial aspirant Zedekiah Bundotich (Buzeki), Nakuru governor hopeful John Mututho and Tetu MP Ndung’u Gethenji.
Kabogo said neither President Uhuru Kenyatta nor NASA presidential flag-bearer Raila Odinga can ignore the support of the independents in the August polls.
“As a presidential candidate, you can only ignore us at your own peril,” he told the Sunday Standard.
The governor said KAIC is giving a political voice to aspirants who felt they were wrongly elbowed out of the President’s party.
“The August 8 poll is the real contest. There will be no stuffing of ballots or people voting twice or more than 10 times as happened during the party primaries. The real voice of Wanjiku and Atieno will be heard loud and clear,” said Kabogo.
He said the association is not bitter with anyone, and it is not meant to fight any politician, but only interested in expanding the political space.
“We want to end party dictatorship and allow divergent voices. Nobody should be denied a chance to lead if he or she is capable,” he said.
The governor added if the Mt Kenya region feels he is a capable leader, he will take up the mantle at the right time.
“Right now we are pursuing our respective political seats in the August elections and supporting President Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto’s re-election,” he said.
Speaking Saturday, the leaders asked voters to consider them. They accused their colleagues in Jubilee of referring to them as rebels.
“We all belong to Jubilee, those whom we gave seats in Jubilee should respect us. We are not rebels,” said Buzeki.
Gethenji said all independent candidates who lost the Jubilee tickets support the re-election of Uhuru.
Kabogo, at the same time, urged politicians to conduct peaceful campaigns. “I am looking forward to a day when a Kikuyu and a Luo will vote for each other,” he said.
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