The run-up to the 2017 elections was marked with intense competitive politicking, both good issue-based, and pure malicious politics.
This saw politicians and party loyalists alike shift allegiances or declare support for opposing camps, especially after party nominations that saw a number of aspirants loose the blessings of their parties to vie as their flagbearer.
One man who was part of the ‘decamping’ bandwagon was the then Migori senator Dr. Wilfred Machage, who ditched his opposition elective outfit ODM for Democratic Party (DP) which was affiliated to Uhuru’s Jubilee party.
The senator intended to use DP which housed him in the past before he joined ODM to clinch the Kuria West parliamentary seat.
During a funeral in the area, the retired medical doctor assured President Kenyatta of support from the Kuria community but asked him to desist from rooting for Jubilee party nominated candidates in the parliamentary race.
He faced stiff competition from the then area MP Mathias Robi who was the Jubilee flagbearer.
However, when Kenyatta took to the podium he ignored Machage’s request and asked the constituents to vote for Jubilee candidates’ right from the MCA to the president.
Machage was later trounced by Robi who retained his seat by garnering 16,930 votes against 11,621 managed by Machage.
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