Scramble for Western Kenya as Wetangula, Mudavadi set to launch bids

The battle lines have been drawn in the clamor for the Western Kenya vote after allies of Ford Kenya party leader Moses Wetangula remained adamant that the planned launch of his presidential bid on April 2nd at the historic Masinde Muliro grounds in Kakamega will go on despite opposition from the area Governor Wycliffe Oparanya.

Wetangula’s bid has sent shock waves among Western Kenya leaders from CORD, with those from ODM especially wary of his bid, fearing that he may render them useless to CORD leader Raila Odinga come 2017.

Insiders say ODM leaders from the region, including the Deputy Party Leader Wycliffe Oparanya and Secretary General Ababu Namwamba, are apprehensive that Western ODM MPs may be forced to drop their bids in 2017 in favor of Ford Kenya candidates should Wetangula’s presidential campaign gain momentum.

Meanwhile, observers say Musalia Mudavadi’s Amani Party of Kenya is banking on the resultant fallout among CORD leaders in Western Kenya to grow party membership. Mudavadi has been camping in region with a plea to Luhya voters to consolidate their votes behind one of their own, arguing that support for Wetangula is really just support for Raila Odinga.

Wetangula’s decision to launch his bid at the Masinde Muliro stadium has been seen as the surest evidence yet that he does not intend to actually run for President in 2017; otherwise he would have picked a more ideal area to launch a national campaign.

This may be informed by the belief that ODM party leader Raila Odinga is the obvious CORD presidential candidate come 2017.

However, it appears Mudavadi intent on going all the way with a proposed launch of his presidential campaign in Nairobi in June is to garner enough votes to force a post election pact with the winner of the 2017 presidential election.

However, Wetangula’s insistence on the Masinde Muliro Gardens may also be backed by the historical significance; the grounds have been the go to venue to declare how the region will vote in an election. That proved true in 1992 when Ford’s Martin Shikuku declared that he would support Kenneth Matiba who was then challenging retired President Daniel Moi. Though Moi won that election, the Luhya vote was significantly in favor of Matiba. History was to repeat itself in 2002 and 2007 when declarations by Ford Kenya’s Michael Kijana Wamalwa and later Musalia Mudavadi then in ODM, would earn their presidential picks Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga significant votes in those respective polls.

Report by Anne Kiguta