Ford Kenya endorses Wetangula’s 2017 presidential bid

Ford Kenya party leader Moses Wetangula has received the endorsement of the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) to run for the presidency in 2017.

In a decision reached on Monday in Nakuru, the party council said it believes that the CORD co-principal has the ability to provide the transformational leadership that Kenya needs.

“We confirm that Ford Kenya will offer its party leader as a presidential candidate in 2017. We strongly believe in his ability to provide the transformational leadership required to save our beloved nation from the current challenges,” said the party’s Secretary General David Eseli.

The announcement came days after Wiper Democratic Movement leader Kalonzo Musyoka, also a co-principal in CORD coalition, announced his interest in running for presidency in the 2017 elections.

The decision by all three to declare their presidential candidatures has been seen as a way of consolidating their individual support bases to bargain their way to the ballot.

While Wetangula is under pressure to either lead the Luhya community to the Presidency or consolidate the Western bloc, he has also said that he is in Cord to stay.

According to the Ford Kenya leader, any of the three Cord principals can be the flag-bearer, come 2017 – and win against Jubilee.

“Raila, Kalonzo and I want to be President. I will subordinate my candidacy as long as the mechanism used is fair, democratic, free and just,” Wetangula said.

Wetangula said that Ford Kenya is concentrating on uniting Kenyans as unity is a key ingredient to development.

Plans to have the Cord affiliates merge and register as a single party have, however, been opposed, especially by supporters of Odinga-led Orange Democratic Movement.