Ford Kenya has distanced itself from speculation doing rounds in mainstream and social media that it is leaning towards deputy president William Ruto.
Speaking to the press at a Nairobi Hotel, Ford Kenya National Organizing Secretary Chris Mandu Mandu said the speculation is geared towards tainting the Party’s image.
“We are firmly in the One Kenya Alliance. We are not out to support UDA,” Mandu said.
He said the people spreading rumors that Ford Kenya will join UDA are coup plotters and those who have lost political credibility in Bungoma.
“We are going to name and shame them. We will not tolerate such nonsense,” he said.
Last week, it was reported that Deputy President William Ruto is hunting for three political heavyweights from Western to tilt the scales against Opposition chief Raila Odinga in his march to State House.
One newspaper reported that Ruto has been aggressively reaching out to Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka, Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang’ula and outgoing Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya.
The game plan is to run away with the Western votes — a traditional Raila bastion and the backyard of One Kenya Alliance chief Musalia Mudavadi of ANC.
Mandu said Ford Kenya is strong in Western Kenya and especially Bungoma and Trans Nzoia Counties.
He added that the Party is preparing for next year’s elections and is focusing on bagging more seats.
The media reports said that on Saturday, there was an unlikely meeting in Nakuru that threatens to reorganize Bungoma county politics.
Ruto has been keen on winning over Bungoma, the second most populous county in Western and the third most populated in Kenya
The reports said that the Nakuru meeting brought together Wetang’ula, Lusaka, Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa and his Kiminini counterpart Chris Wamalwa.
It was at this meeting where the leaders agreed on the line-up.
In the new arrangement, Lusaka will be going back to reclaim his Bungoma governorship seat that he lost to Wangamati in 2017.
Bungoma Governor Wangamati has since fallen out with Wetang’ula in an acrimonious tussle over Ford Kenya.
Wetang’ula and Lusaka have not been seeing eye-to-eye.
In addition, the Speaker is a close confidant of the DP who played a key role in his election as the Speaker of the Senate.
“Our opponents are the ones sponsoring the rumor’s. However, they will not succeed,” Mandu said.
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