Politician Eliud Owalo
CANDIDATE:Politician Eliud Owalo
 

 

Musalia Mudavadi-led ANC is expected to unveil former opposition leader Raila Odinga’s chief strategist Eliud Owalo as its candidate in the Kibra by-election.

The Nairobi based consultant will face off with a number of candidates from Jubilee, ODM and other parties.

Deputy party leader and Lugari MP Ayub Savula told the Star Owalo will be unveiled in a grand event at 10am at the party headquarters.

The event will be attended by Musalia, MPs, senators, MCAs, friends of ANC, members and leaders from Kibra.

“The unveiling ceremony is a party of our strategy. And then, we will continue with our door to door campaigns,”  Savula said.

“After this, we will also unveil our manifesto in a couple of days. ANC is an issue-based party and we are here to work with our people.”

The Kibra seat became vacant following the death of MP Ken Okoth. In Jubilee, the seat has attracted candidates among them footballer Macdonald Mariga,  Morris Peter Kinyanjui, Walter Trenk, Said Ibrahim and Doreen Wasike.

ODM will have former MCA Pius K’Otieno, ODM national youth coordinator Benson Musungu and Imran Okoth (Ken’s brother) to battle out in nominations.

“Owalo was number two in the last ODM nominations. We are confident of winning the seat,” Savula said.

Political analyst Herman Manyora told the Star that most people in Kibra are from Nyanza and another significant portion from Western, which favours both ANC and ODM.

“So, if you go the tribal way, then it means ODM and ANC should be battling in the by-election,” he said.

Owalo resigned from ODM on August 13 to join ANC, which was a coalition partner with the ODM in Nasa.

“My resignation is informed by the fact that my political ideology, convictions and belief no longer has convergence or depict any congruence and common denominator with that of the ODM Party; its value-orientation and practices,” he  wrote in a letter to the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties.