Bernard Kiala pulls out of Machakos governor race

Machakos Deputy Governor Bernard Kiala, who was contesting for the governor’s seat as an independent candidate, has dropped his bid to support National Super Alliance (NASA) presidential candidate Raila Odinga.

Speaking to the press on Sunday, July 30, Kiala said that the decision to shelve his ambitions came after a series of consultations with leaders of the Kamba community and supporters, insisting that going to the ballot would give the incumbent Governor Alfred Mutua an advantage.

Kiala said his move will help NASA win the August 8 General Elections since since running as an independent candidate would scatter the opposition votes in Machakos County.

“We remain staunch believers in the mission of NASA. We have seen the risk of scattering the NASA presidential vote in Machakos if we advance our independent gubernatorial candidacy. We ask ourselves whether our candidacy serves the greater good of Machakos people. Our wish is that dividends of our fight against lies and corruption presided over by Governor Mutua can be felt sooner by our people,” read a statement from Kiala’s campaign team.

However, Kiala still insisted that he was not defeated fairly in the Wiper Party primaries, but urged his supporters to see the bigger picture beyond the gubernatorial seat and to vote for the opposition coalition.

Kiala called upon the electorates of the county to turn out in large numbers on August 8th to vote for Raila Odinga and his running mate Kalonzo Musyoka.

In May, Senator Johnston Muthama accused Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka of favouritism and micromanaging party affairs by fixing his preferred candidate, Wavinya Ndeti, on the party list.

The deputy governor, who fell out of favour with his boss Governor Mutua few months after they were elected in 2013, was floored twice by Ndeti after IEBC ordered a repeat exercise over irregularities.