President Uhuru Kenyatta at a past event. [Photo/ zipo.co.ke]
Mijikenda elders in Kilifi County have dismissed claims that they have declared support for President Uhuru Kenyatta in the repeat presidential polls slated for October 26.Addressing journalists in Rabai, the elders asked politicians to stop generalising the Mijikenda community by claiming its members have ditched the opposition NASA coalition for Jubilee Party.Led by Juma Mrisa, the elders said they shall not allow a few individuals to use propaganda to mislead the public.“We do not want Big G (chewing gum) politics since we do not have teeth to grind them. Even if elections are held tomorrow, our governor will still be Amason Kingi and Mr Odinga our president,” said Mrisa.They faulted former Kilifi gubernatorial candidate Michael Tinga of Wiper Party and Mr Abdalla Shalako, a village elder, for claiming that Rabai residents and Kaya elders had defected to Jubilee.On his part, Mkombe Mgwashi said Tinga and Shalako’s decision to defect to Jubilee is personal and does not reflect the will of the entire community.He criticised ODM rebels claiming they are only interested in fulfilling their own selfish interests instead of representing the residents who voted for them.His sentiments were reiterated by Edwin Demla who said “leaders should not be swayed by money to shift their allegiance.“We are in NASA and support Raila Odinga’s presidential bid,” he added.