The National Super Alliance (NASA) has beaten President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee Party (JP) to the historic Uhuru Park grounds in Nairobi for their final campaign rally.
Rival political parties are always embroiled in last minute efforts to lock rivals out of key grounds in a political cat and mouse game between party officials and county licensing officers.
As at Saturday, it had been confirmed that NASA has already booked Uhuru Park grounds for their final pitch on the last day of campaigns in efforts to paint the city in white, orange and green colours.
IEBC has already announced August 6 as the end of the official campaign period.
Intense jostling
According to communication between Nairobi City County and NASA officials seen by Sunday Standard, NASA has booked Uhuru Park for the next two weeks.
“Kindly be informed that Uhuru Park has been booked and paid for use in the last week of July and first weekend of August respectively by NASA,” reads part of the communication.
Jubilee Party has settled on Nyayo Stadium, just about a kilometre away from Uhuru Park, as the venue for their final campaign rally.
Saturday, Jubilee Party Vice Chairman David Murathe confirmed the choice of venue saying, “Our choice was either Uhuru Park or Nyayo Stadium. Given that our opponents have already taken Uhuru Park, then we shall be at Nyayo Stadium. We are not in contest with anybody over venues because people do not vote for venues. We will reach our people from anywhere,” he said.
Past elections have seen rival sides face off in intense jostling for key venues, at times forcing the intervention of the Judiciary. In 2013, Kenyatta’s Jubilee beat Raila’s CORD to the much coveted Uhuru Park, forcing the opposition to settle for the less amiable Nyayo Stadium.
With recent opinion polls indicating a possible neck and neck contest between Raila and President Kenyatta, it is not surprising that both coalitions are employing all manner of tricks and propaganda in a final bid to win as many votes.
The major political parties are currently engaged in a final and decisive countrywide vote hunt that will culminate in the final push at the two venues, two days to the elections.
Today, the President is expected to address the country and answer questions from the public through social media, hoping to cash in on an undecided and tech savvy middle class as well as the diaspora.
Engagement
State House sources said that by close of business Saturday, more than 5,000 questions from Kenyans had been sent to the presidency through his Facebook account.
“President Uhuru will be holding a virtual town hall meeting through his personal Facebook account. He will take and answer questions from Garissa, at the end of the engagement he will issue a statement on his plans for jobs and youth,” State House said.
Raila, who will be making his fourth stab at the presidency, will be in a day-long caravan in Nairobi.
It is expected that the opposition chiefs will continue to engage the IEBC and acting Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i over the number of polling agents to be deployed byparties.
NASA co-principal and Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang’ula said that in the coming week they will heighten their activities as they enter the homestretch to ensure a clear win.
“We will not share publicly, but I can assure you that the activities will be a notch high, we want a wide margin in this election,” said Mr Wetang’ula.
According to a source at the NASA secretariat, they will spend more money from next week on adverts and media visibility as they finalise campaigns.
“We have prepared adverts on television and radios they will be on air soon,” said a member of the secretariat who is not the official spokesperson.
The coalition has booked Uhuru Park for the next two weeks until a day after the election.
Jubilee, which has for the last few years used the Kasarani Stadium for their political functions, is expected to head back there for its final rally or use the less glamorous Nyayo Stadium for their final rally on August 6.
“We have been campaigning and met people on the ground, NASA can book all the grounds if it serves them right, this election will not be won on such tricks, we still beat them on August 8th,” said Jubilee Party secretary general Raphael Tuju.
After months on the campaign trail, President Kenyatta and his main challenger Raila Odinga are locked in a unique political contest. If the NASA candidate Raila Odinga loses, it could well be the end of his political career.
Banned all foreign trips
However, a NASA victory would effectively set a new record in the country as Kenyatta would be Kenya’s only President so far to lose a second term bid.
Though the opposition has taken Uhuru Park, in Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret and Nakuru the grounds are still open for those who are interested to have their meetings.
“No ground has been booked towards election, they are still open and anyone interested will be given an opportunity to us it,” said Mombasa county communication director Richard Chacha.
Meanwhile, the President has also banned all foreign trips for Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries.
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