Caption; Senator Johnstone Muthama addresses a crowd at Mulu Mutisya gardens in Machakos town where he rejected Kalonzo's calls to have NASA affiliate parties field candidates separately. Photo: James M/hivisasa.comThe Wiper party is staring at a unity crisis after its national chairman David Musila and Machakos Senator Johnstone Muthama publicly scoffed at calls by party leader Kalonzo Musyoka that NASA affiliate parties should field candidates independently in the next general election.
The two leaders, who addressed a poorly attended political rally at Mulu Mutisya gardens in Machakos town on Monday afternoon for the first time appeared to differ sharply with Kalonzo on the contagious subject of picking candidates who will fly the party's ticket at various elective positions.
Last week, Kalonzo publicly announced that his party would not yield to pressure by a section of leaders within the main opposition alliance, NASA to hold joint nominations for candidates seeking elective positions under the umbrella of the National Super Alliance.
But a furious Muthama rubbished Kalonzo's proposal, terming it a recipe for unhealthy competition at the cost of NASA's unity plan ahead of the general election.
"We will not allow any of the four affiliate parties to field candidates separately within the same elective zones because that will cause divisions in the entire coalition," said the Machakos Senator.
Muthama also criticized the recent coalition agreement between Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana's Muungano party and Wiper, saying it was unfair to other candidates eying gubernatorial seat in Makueni County.
His sentiments were echoed by Musila, who said as the party chairman and a gubernatorial aspirant in Kitui County, he will be subjected to a nomination exercise alongside Governor Julius Malombe, who has vowed to defend his seat on a Wiper party ticket.
The two senators, who were flanked by Machakos deputy governor Bernard Kiala and MPs Mutua Muluvi (Kitui East) and Makali Mulu (Kitui Central) also took a swipe against a section of legislators who are said to have formed a splinter group within Wiper to drive Kalonzo Musyoka's agenda in pushing for his nomination to fly the NASA presidential ticket.