NASA leader Raila Odinga on Wednesday shocked residents of Eldoret Town after he declared his support for Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago.

Addressing a rally at the historic Eldoret 64 Stadium in Eldoret, Raila called for the residents in the area to turn out in large numbers and vote for him during the August 8 elections while at the same time re-elect Mandago for another five-year term.

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Also present at the NASA rally were principals Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper), Musalia Mudavadi (Amani), Isaac Rutto (CCM), and Moses Wetang'ula (Ford Kenya).

NASA running mate Musyoka drew a rapturous applause from the crowd after declaring that if he had a vote in Eldoret, he would have voted for Governor Mandago.

The endorsement is likely to warm up Raila’s presidential candidature in the largely perceived Jubilee stronghold of Uasin Gishu County where Mandago remains a largely popular figure to most of the locals.

Mandago is facing stiff competition from businessman Bundotich Kiprop popularly known as Buzeki who is running as an independent.

Mandago trounced Buzeki during the Jubilee primaries garnering 126,681 votes against his rival’s 82,869.

However, Buzeki immediately rejected the results citing massive irregularities before launching an appeal to the Jubilee Party National Elections Tribunal.

The tribunal failed to nullify the party’s gubernatorial results and upheld Mandago’s win; a decision which led to Buzeki decamping from Jubilee.