Mavoko ODM parliamentary aspirant Michael Mutuku (right) joins residents during demonstrations against NASA presidential candidate Raila Odinga's endorsements in Athi River town, Machakos County on Tuesday. [Photo/Maugo Owiti]
Mavoko residents have protested against NASA presidential candidate Raila Odinga’s endorsement of Wiper candidate Patrick Makau for Mavoko parliamentary seat.
They said Raila retracts his statements he made on Saturday rally at Mavoko Stadium that ODM nominee Michael Mutuku should step down in favor of the Wiper candidate.
The ODM supporters said Raila was misled by Wiper leader and NASA deputy presidential candidate Kalonzo Musyoka to perceive that Mavoko is a Wiper zone.
They staged demonstrations in Athi River town on Tuesday.
“Odinga should immediately call for press conference and retract the endorsements, Mavoko residents should turn out in large numbers and vote in Mutuku to disapprove the NASA presidential candidate and those who misinformed him,” said spokesman Walter Kasera.
They said the constituency is cosmopolitan and the ODM candidate Mutuku more popular than the incumbent MP who had failed to deliver during his five term tenure in office.
“We cannot be forced to re –elect Makau since he failed to deliver during his ten year term in office, we elected him as a mayor for five years and an MP for five more years but there is no tangible project on the ground to show,” said Kasera.
The agitated electorates said the endorsements if not reversed will affect NASA presidential elections.
They threatened to re-elect UhuRuto’s administration if Raila fails to urgently issue press statement to denounce the statements.
“Can Raila and Kalonzo step down in favor of UhuRuto if they are requested to do so by the African Union? We know they cannot since various polls put NASA on the lead,” said Kasera.
The residents said they cannot accept to be imposed on leaders by NASA leadership.
“We are protesting to express our anger as electorates for what Raila did on Saturday, he cannot force us to vote Makau. We are behind Mutuku for MP and will vote him on August 8,” said Kasera.
Mutuku’s campaigns director Fred Maithya said they cannot give in to Raila’s instructions since they were casual.
“We have done intensive campaigns on the ground since 2014, a leader who has failed to deliver cannot be imposed on the Mavoko people,” said Maithya.
Mutuku said he had spent more than Sh20 million in the campaigns.