Campaigns for the Kajiado Central by-election hit the home-stretch Saturday with Jubilee Alliance Party (JAP) and Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) holding last minute rallies in the area in a bid to woo voters.
Sonko led his rescue team to drum up support for JAP candidate Patrick Tutui who is facing stiff competition from ODM candidate Elijah Memusi. Sonko had a convoy of limousines, golden Mercedes Benz, rescue trucks and other cars with pro-Tutui posters.
Cord leader Raila Odinga and his co-principals Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetang’ula also held rallies to campaign for Memusi.
Speaking in Kajiado town, Tutui urged the voters to turn up in large numbers on Monday and elect him as their next Member of Parliament as he is development-minded and would initiate projects that will benefit all the residents regardless of their party affiliations.
Tutui said the opposition had nothing to offer and the only way to ensure development comes to Kajiado central was to vote for a candidate who has full backing and support from the government.
Accompanied by Kajiado Senator Peter Mositet and JAP affiliated leaders, Tutui held road shows in Bull’s Eye area, Bissil, Ngatataek and Namanga where he expressed confidence that he would beat his main opponent, Memusi.
Raila urged voters not to be swayed by promises made by the Jubilee government as they were empty rhetoric and they had not yet even delivered on their pre-election pledges two years down the line.
Addressing hundreds of supporters at various stop-overs, the leaders said Memusi was the best person to replace Nkaissery as he is independent minded and would not be used as a puppet by the government.
Campaigns for the Kajiado Central seat started on February 18 and will ended at 6 pm on Saturday.
The seat fell vacant after Joseph Nkaiserry resigned to take up the Interior cabinet secretary position after being appointed by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission in a statement early this week said it had trained 290 presiding and deputy presiding officers and 330 polling clerks who would be deployed to their respective polling stations on Sunday in readiness for polling.
IEBC spokesperson Tabitha Mutemi at the same time said the commission had taken all the necessary measures to ensure the required materials are supplied in good time for timely distribution.
Three candidates will be fighting it out for the seat. They include: Elijah Memusi (ODM), Patrick ole Tutui (Jubilee Alliance Party) and Kuntai Nkashuma (Independent).
Kajiado Central constituency has 39,545 registered voters and 102 polling stations.
- the-star.co.ke
