Khalwale: Why I defected to Jubilee

Former Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale says he joined Jubilee was because his party leader, Moses Wetang’ula ignored his advice.

Speaking in Bumula on Sunday, Khalwale said his Ford Kenya party leader and Amani National Congress leader Musalia Mudavadi refused to listen to him when he proposed the dissolution of the two parties to upport Deputy President William Ruto.

Khalwale said he told his 'brothers' to join Ruto after weighing their strength come 2022.

''My two brothers refused, insisting that they must be on the presidential ballot come 2022 but after weighing their strength and rating them, they are very low when it comes on presidential campaigns,'' he said.

The former Ford Kenya deputy party leader who was accompanied by MPs Mwambu Mabonga (Bumula), Fred Kapondi (Mt Elgon), Mathias Robi (Kuria east) ,Didmus Barasa (Kimilili), Dan Wanyama (Webuye West), Aisha Jumwa (Malindi), John Waluke (Sirisia) and Benjamin Washiali, said there was no way Wetang'ula and Mudavadi could win the presidency alone.

He said he should not be blamed as having betrayed his ‘brothers’ because he made the exact decision which was taken by their political godfather Masinde Muliro, who dissolved his KADU party to join Kanu and became the first minister from Luhya land.

''If I made a mistake by abandoning Ford Kenya for Jubilee, then our Luhya kingpin Muliro also made a mistake to ditch Kadu for Kanu'' said Khalwale.

He said the community had been in opposition for the last 10 years and that he will not sit back and watch as few leaders struggle to retain them in opposition.

''Ruto is a 2022 presidential front runner and will definitely win, so let us not be cheated to continue being in the cold year in year out,” he noted.

Recently Khalwale told a radio station that he spends most of the week in western Kenya mobilising for the Deputy President.

His defection was timed to upstage Ford Kenya which had planned to expel him.