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President Uhuru Kenyatta’s re-election bid faces a major threat after a section of Jubilee leaders from Rift Valley warned his government to stop supporting independent candidates or else decamp to the NASA coalition.
Led by Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago, the leaders accused some powerful individuals within the party of supporting and funding campaigns of independent candidates contesting against them.
While addressing residents of Eldoret town, Mandago asked the party’s top leaders to make it clear on whether they would support them or entertain independent candidates.
“We will ask our supporters to vote for other presidential candidates if the Jubilee’s dalliance with independents does not end. It is illogical to support independent candidates that say they support the re-election of President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto,” said Mandago.
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His statement comes after MP Elijah Lagat Saturday defected to NASA ahead of the Opposition’s rally in Kapsabet on Sunday.
Additionally, Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi said independents should choose to come back to Jubilee or be handled as competitors and Opposition sympathizers.
“We will not be taught how to will elect our leaders and on August 8 we will keenly assess the voting patterns. The moment we will realise the electorate is voting for our competitors, we will ask our supporters to vote against those eyeing the top seats in our party,” Sudi said.
Nandi East MP Alfred Keter also claimed that some “powerful individuals” in Jubilee were funding Mandago’s main rival Zedekiah Bundotich, alias Buzeki.
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He cautioned the move saying that it might bring about negative results in the general election.
“Supporting Buzeki is working against Mandago who should have settled down by now and campaigning for the re-election of our President. If this trend remains, it will also not be mandatory for us to vote for this regime,” Keter said.
President Uhuru and his Jubilee team on Saturday held campaigns in Nakuru as they sought to woo residents to give his govt a 2nd term in the upcoming general elections.