Wiper Party has resisted Azimio la Umoja One Kenya’s decision to zone Nairobi by fielding candidates across the capital city.
This comes after Kalonzo Musyoka’s Wiper party issued certificates to seven Members of Parliament and 35 ward representative contenders.
Nairobi chairperson for Wiper Roy Kivusyu reported that the zoning system left the party disadvantaged with only the deputy governor’s position and one MP seat for Embakasi South. “There is no way you can ignore Wiper in Nairobi. We are ready to be under Azimio but under an equal three-legged coalition,” said Mr. Kivusyu.
In the deal unveiled two weeks ago by Azimio’s presidential flag bearer Raila Odinga, Jubilee had the governor’s seat while the deputy governor’s slot was given to Wiper. ODM bagged senator, woman representative positions, and the county assembly Speaker.
Furthermore, zoning in Nairobi was dependent on the particular strengths of the three major parties, where both Jubilee and ODM were to get eight of the 17 constituencies each and Wiper just one. Additionally, fielding for MCAs was also to follow the party’s strength to lock out the opponent Kenya Kwanza from taking any seat in the city.
Mr. Kivusyu, while speaking on behalf of Wiper, said the negotiations only touched the top seats but not the MP and MCA seats. He further claimed that giving Wiper party one MP seat was equivalent to undermining its numerical strength. Wiper draws its members mainly from the Kamba community, which according to Mr. Kivusyu, is the second-largest voting bloc in Nairobi and cannot be relegated to a few seats.
“If you look at Nairobi’s population, Wiper will decide who gets the top seats because of the Kamba population in the city. If we are only given one MP seat, does it make sense? It becomes a bit tricky then,” Kivusyu added.
He also stated that Wiper voters, together with the Kamba community, decide who becomes governor, senator, and woman rep as they provide the swing vote. Thus, the party must take the running mate position in the presidential bid as Kalonzo Musyoka adds more value to the ticket than other leaders who are being considered for the post.
“It is Kalonzo Musyoka or nothing for the position of Deputy President. We demand he be given the ticket because he will bring to Azimio a solid bloc of more than 2.5 million votes,” Kivusyu Concluded.
