Kalonzo convenes an urgent Wiper NEC a head of by election

Former Vice President and Wiper Leader Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka Monday convened an urgent party NEC meeting to put the house in order a head of April 5 Embakasi South parliamentary by election.

The meeting laid strategies to overwhelmingly campaign and ensure that the party’s candidate Julius Mawathe retains the seat he lost in a petition filed by ODM’s Ishrad Sumra.

“The meeting first endorsed Hon Julius Mawathe as the sole candidate and ruled out conducting nomination”, said a source who attended the meeting.

The party said any support is welcomed from other parties not fielding candidates.

President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee party through Secretary General Raphael Tuju announced last week the party will not sponsor a candidate for seat leaving Kalonzo’s Wiper to square it out with ODM of Raila Odinga. The two are the front runners for the seat and Wiper is all out to claim the seat.

The meeting also discussed the campaign budget and agreed to finance towards the cause.

However a statement by Secretary General Sen Judith Sijeny later in the day said “The Wiper top leadership has also urged ODM to prevail upon their candidate Irshad Sumra to withdraw from the race in a bid to maintain the cordial relations they have been enjoying as the main NASA Coalition partners.

“Led by the Party leader, Kalonzo Musyoka, the NEC cautioned that if ODM don’t withdraw their candidate, they risk an embarrassing showdown by the two Coalition partners at the by-election”

She said since the Embakasi South is the only seat Wiper Party won out of the 17 Parliamentary seats in Nairobi County, ODM should be sincere and withdraw its candidate.

The meeting was attended by among others, two deputy party leaders; Farah Maalim, and Shakila Abdallah. Others were MPs Patrick Makau (Mavoko), Robert Mbui (Kathiani), Makali Mulu (Kitui Central) Ali Mbogo (Kisauni), Kitui Senator Enock Wambua, among other party leaders who form the NEC.