By DPPS
A section of Kamba leaders have said their decision to support Jubilee Party ahead of the August General Election is irreversible because they want to be part of the winning team.
They said they have resolved to back Jubilee so that they become part of the party’s owners and not coalition partners.
The leaders included MPs Mike Sonko (Nairobi), Victor Munyaka (Machakos Town), Regina Ndambuki (Kilome), Rachel Nyamai (Kitui South), Joe Mutambo (Mwingi Central), Benson Mbai (Masinga), Kisoi Munyao (Mbooni), former MPs Prof Philip Kaloki and Kalembe Ndile, Sports Kenya chairman Fred Muteti and Speaker of the Makueni County Assembly Stephen Ngelu.
The leaders also told former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka that the Nasa presidential candidate will be former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
They said there was no way Raila was going to pave way for any other person to take the mantle of the party.
Mutambo said more than half of elected leaders from Ukambani were in Jubilee, dismissing recent media classifications that the region was still an Opposition zone.
The leaders, who made the remarks when they met Deputy President William Ruto at his Karen office, Nairobi, today said Jubilee was a party with a national outlook and clear agenda for Kenyans.
Ruto said he was impressed by the leaders’ decision to unite and woo members of the Kamba community to work with Jubilee for the sake of unity and development.
He said there was nothing wrong with the region shifting its political allegiance to Jubilee because it was keen on developing all areas irrespective of voting patterns.
“I ask you to support Jubilee because it is a party that has agenda to change the lives of Kenyans. This is what you need to look for in politics and not your tribesman or kinsman,” said Ruto.
“Kenya wants leaders who can change the country for the better and its only Jubilee leaders who can do this.”
The MPs said the Kamba community would not make another mistake of voting for parties, which end up in the Opposition.
“People from the Kamba community have embraced the Jubilee Party and it is wrong for some individuals to claim that the region is still an Opposition zone. What were the merits used to classify Ukambani as Opposition zone when the number of people supporting Jubilee is increasing every day?’ asked Mutambo.
Munyao dismissed Opposition leaders as individuals who served in previous governments and in senior positions with nothing to show Kenyans in terms of development projects.
Mbai and Mutambo said Jubilee was not scared of any of the Nasa leaders being named as the flag bearer because they were all destined to fail come the August elections.
“We all know that none of the Nasa candidates has the interest of Kenyans at heart. This is why as Jubilee we are not scared of either of them being named as the flag bearer because whoever will be named will be terribly beaten in August by Jubilee under President Uhuru Kenyatta and Ruto as Deputy President,” said Mutambo.
The leaders said it was waste of time and resources for Nasa committee to continue taking Kenyans for a ride purporting to be looking for a flag bearer while it was known that Raila is its automatic flag bearer.
“Our brother Kalonzo, for instance, should know that he has no future in Nasa because, it is Raila who will be the flag bearer,” said Mbai.
The leaders said compared to the previous governments, the Kamba community was benefitting more from Jubilee’s development projects to a tune of Sh114 billion in the construction of roads, water dams, connection of electricity to households in the region, construction of the Konza city, development of the health sector among other projects.
They told off Kalonzo for criticizing MPs from the region working with the Jubilee Administration saying no one criticized him when he worked with former president Daniel Moi for 24 years but with no development project to show for the community.
“Jubilee is doing a lot of development projects for the Kamba community barely four years in power,” said Mr Sonko.
“But what Messrs Raila, Kalonzo, Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetang’ula served as Prime Minister, Vice President, deputy Prime Minister and minister in that order for over 30 years in government only managed to establish prisons for the Kamba people and yet we are law abiding citizens,” added Sonko.
Nyamai said legislators from the region have not decided to work with Jubilee for their selfish gains but for the benefit of the community in terms of development projects.
“Jubilee is working hard to eradicate poverty, hunger and acute water shortages in our region. This is a Government that is committed to empowering our people economically and this is why we are ready to work with it for the sake of the welfare of our people,” said Nyamai.
Ruto said the Opposition had no agenda for Kenyans other than discussing him in their political rallies.