Raila Odinga pleads for six-piece voting to get majority MPs

Azimio la Umoja presidential candidate Raila Odinga with Mombasa gubernatorial candidate Abdulswamad Nassir in Nyali. [Emmanuel Wanson, Standard]

Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya presidential candidate Raila Odinga campaigned in Mombasa yesterday and called on residents to embrace six-piece voting to ensure they have a strong team from the region.

Mr Odinga said he did not want to be a general without an army. “I don’t want to be a general without soldiers. I need foot soldiers in the county assembly, national assembly, senate and the governors so as to deliver on my vision for the country,” he said.

His running mate Martha Karua said Mr Odinga would be more energised to rule if he got many elected leaders. She told Azimio candidates to avoid wrangles that could cost them seats.

At Changamwe, sibling rivalry played out, forcing Mr Odinga to play the master of ceremony role to stop a conflict between supporters of Changamwe MP Omar Mwinyi (ODM) and Daib Abdi of Jubilee.

Ms Karua told voters to reject UDA presidential candidate William Ruto, claiming he has no respect for President Uhuru Kenyatta. “The deputy president does not respect his boss and he will be a dictator if elected president. He also has no respect for Raila who taught him politics during the 2005 referendum when they joined hands to support the orange side.

“If I become deputy president, I will toe the line and respect my boss. You will only see results and not public spats between us,” she said.

Mr Odinga pledged to return port operations that were taken to the Naivasha dry port back to Mombasa, as well as speed the construction of Dongo Kundu special economic zone to create jobs and transform Mombasa into a free port like Dubai.

He claimed Dr Ruto launched the Naivasha dry port and should not hoodwink Coast voters that he would return its operations to Mombasa. “Ruto has forgotten too fast,” Mr Odinga said.

He spoke at stopovers in Kongowea, Changamwe and a public rally in Bangladesh, Mombasa.

Mvita MP and ODM Mombasa governor candidate Abdulswamad Nassir claimed those in Dr Ruto’s camp and pushing for the return of port operations to Mombasa did not back him when he raised the matter in Parliament.