Msambweni by-election reduced to two favourite frontrunners
By Munira Mandano and George Kebaso
The battle for the Msambweni parliamentary seat has narrowed down to a supremacy contest between Opposition leader Raila Odinga and Deputy President William Ruto after two Independent candidates withdrew from the race in favour of the latter’s candidate, Feisal Dori.
Bashir Kilalo and Peter Nzuki vowed to campaign for Feisal who will be battling it out with Orange Democratic Movement’s candidate Omar Boga, Mariam Sharlet (Independent), Shee Abdulrahman (Wiper) and Marere wa Mwachai (National Vision Party) during the December 15 by-election.
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Lunga Lunga MP Khatib Mwashetani and former Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar are said to have been instrumental in brokering a meeting between Ruto, Kilalo, Nzuki and Feisal in Nairobi during which the candidates were prevailed upon to drop from the race.
Mwashetani was yesterday confident that the withdrawal of the two candidates will boost Feisal’s chances of capturing the seat.
“Our main target is to beat the ODM candidate in the by- election and by the candidates stepping down in our favour we will clinch the seat,” Mwashetani said.
In Nairobi, Wiper Party’s National Election Board gave their candidate, Abdulrahman got the nod to run for the seat with leader, Kalonzo Musyoka expressing confidence their candidate will romp to victory.
The Wiper leader said that besides Abdulrahman being a grassroots man, the party will also rely on its chairman, Chirau Mwakwere’s popularity in the county.
“We must tell the framers of the race being a two-horse contest that we have a serious candidate and we are not sparing anything.
They have framed it that way; from there they will say it is a Raila versus Ruto. No.
Are we not Kenyans? And are we not prepared to make sure that we defeat both of them?” asked Mwakwere.
