From: Nicholas Mireri

PNU candidates supporting Raila in Western Province

By Dennis Lumiti

SOME of the civic and parliamentary candidates eyeing various seats in Western Province on Ford-Kenya and New Ford-Kenya parties which are supporting President Kibaki’s re-election have broken ranks with the parties and are now campaigning for ODM presidential candidate Raila Odinga.

And former Minister Cyrus Jirongo’s KADDU is a divided house with most of the party candidates still backing Raila for the Presidency even after he withdrew his support for the ODM flag-bearer. Ford-K and New Ford-K aspirants said yesterday that they had decided to back Raila’s candidature after “thoroughly reading the mood on the ground”.

“We realised that we might lose if we support Kibaki’s re-election because he is weak on the ground here. When we talk to the electorate, they tell us openly that we must support Raila if we hope to see the inside of Parliament,” said Bishop Titus Khamala, the New Ford-K’s candidate for Lurambi constituency.