President Uhuru Kenyatta receives one of the three ODM defectors from Narok County at State House, Nairobi, October 2, 2017. [Photo|PSCU]President Uhuru Kenyatta’s re-election bid has received a major boost after three opposition leaders from Narok joined his Jubilee Party. The president received Tiampati Ole Musuni, Rebecca Tonkei and Alfred Keriolale who joined Jubilee from Raila Odinga's ODM at State House, Nairobi, where they were accompanied by a delegation of their supporters at a meeting that was also attended by Deputy President William Ruto.
Ole Musuni unsuccessfully vied for the Narok gubernatorial position losing to Jubilee’s Samuel Ole Tunai; Tonkei went for the Woman Representative post while Keriolale narrowly lost the Narok East MP position in the August 8 polls. Welcoming the support from the former Narok opposition leaders, Kenyatta said he was pleased that the leaders had decided to abandon personal ambition to work together for the benefit of the electorate.
“What is important to me is that now Narok leaders who were political rivals have decided to put politics aside and in a very mature manner join hands and work together for the benefit of the electorate,” Kenyatta said. He added: “This proves that their main aim was not to get positions to advance their personal interests but to work for the welfare of the people of Narok.” Kenyatta pointed out that unity was the surest way of accelerating development in Narok County as well as across the country. “Politics is competition but not enmity and after a political contest, leaders should be able to work together to serve Kenyans,” he said. Ole Musuni, Tonkei and Keriolale assured Kenyatta that they would now vigorously mobilise votes to ensure he wins with a bigger margin in the October 26 fresh election. Governor Tunai said with the three leaders joining Jubilee, Narok County was now firmly under the ruling party’s fold and Kenyatta would on October 26 more than double the votes he garnered on August 8.