With less than 40 days remaining to the August elections, the two main political parties; Jubilee and Nasa have assembled a campaign machinery to ensure they scoop maximum votes from ‘swing’ areas.
Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee and Odinga’s Nasa are currently engaged in fighting for 11 counties considered to be ‘undecided’, as they both search for the deciding vote.
With figures from the IEBC indicating that there are over 3.7 million votes from these areas considered swing counties, the parties are also working hard to ensure they maintain a grip on their strongholds.
Recent polls revealed that the two parties are neck and neck, with Nasa gaining ground on Jubilee, which had a comfortable lead in earlier polls.
Both parties have an almost equal number of counties as their strongholds, areas they expect to sweep almost all the presidential votes.
However, But the NASA think-tank believes it can bag more than 8.2 million votes as opposed to Jubilee’s 7.9 million in their strongholds.
Jubilee considers Nyeri, Murang’a, Laikipia, Kiambu, Nakuru, Meru, Nyandarua, Kirinyaga, Embu, Tharaka Nithi, Nandi, Uasin Gishu, West Pokot, Kericho, Baringo, Bomet and Elgeyo Marakwet as counties they can secure maximum voters.
NASA on the other hand has Bungoma, Busia, Vihiga, Kakamega, Mombasa, Kilifi, Kitui, Kwale, Lamu, Taita Taveta, Tana River, Machakos, Makueni, Kisumu, Homa Bay, Migori and Siaya as its strongholds.
Both Jubilee and Nasa agree that Marsabit, Wajir, Narok, Kajiado, Lamu, Garisa, Nairobi, Samburu Tana River and Mandera are swing vote areas, with those counties carrying 3,786,455 votes which must be battled by both parties.
NASA has promised to raid Jubilee zones and add more votes to their bag, with Musalia Mudavadi saying they have put plans in place to ensure this happens.
“We will be in Kapsabet on Sunday. We have been in Baringo, West Pokot and Bomet. In essence we are taking on Jubilee in their own backyards because NASA carries the hope of mama mboga, Jua Kali youths and down-trodden people of all walks of life,” said Mudavadi.
However, Jubilee Head of Secretariat Raphael Tuju has rubbished Nasa’s perceived winning plan, saying they have a better strategy to ensure they clinch the presidency.
“We are not going to take chances because we cannot allow a group of power-hungry politicians with nothing to offer this country to hoodwink the people. We will campaign to have Kenya united under Jubilee and deliver a clear victory to President Kenyatta,” said Tuju