A section of Jubilee leaders from Gusii have challenged leaders who were elected on the Cord ticket in the region to join the Jubilee Alliance Party which they claimed could form the next government.
The leaders alleged that as per now, Cord cannot win any presidential election and therefore it was a waste of time for leaders from the community to continue clinging to a losing outfit.
Led by Prof Sam Ongeri, Dr Ereneo Nyakiba, Rumumba Nyaberi and Patrick Osero, the leaders particularly took issue with MCAs, MPs, senators and governors who were elected on a Cord ticket from the area and asked them to cross over to the new political outfit.
Sparking the debate at Kebirigo in Nyamira County on Monday, Ongeri told Borabu MP Ben Momanyi and Governor John Nyagarama who were present at the function that it was high time they crossed over to winning party instead of being left out in the cold come 2017.
Ongeri said that for a long time, the Kisii community has always been represented in any government and therefore the community could commit a big political plunder if it supports Cord which he said could not win and form the next government.
According to the former foreign affairs minister, Kenyans need leaders who are performers in terms of development but not the rhetoric which Cord is good at.
Responding to the remarks, Momanyi said that he was ready to join JAP if President Uhuru signs a memorandum of understanding with the community on how they could benefit by supporting his re-election bid.
“We are not going to support the Jubilee Alliance Party blindly. They must first tell us what they have for our people,” Momanyi told Ongeri.
Governor Nyagarama on his part said that he was ready to support any government in power for the sake of development and service delivery for his people.
He asked all elected leaders to put aside their political differences by working together for effective service delivery.