The NASA rally in Posta Grounds in Bungoma was disrupted by chants praising Khang’ati and Kakamega Senator Bonny Khalwale was forced to cut short his speech as he was trying to endorse Wycliffe Wangamati, a Ford Kenya gubernatorial candidate in Bungoma County.
NASA co-principals efforts to calm the crowd bore no fruits and the presidential candidate Raila Odinga ended the rally prematurely.
Earlier, the campaign trail traversed the whole County and they divided themselves into two teams as their main agenda was vote hunting as they were urging residents to vote for Raila Odinga as the President in the August polls.
The first team led by NASA presidential candidate who is also ODM party leader Raila Odinga and Bungoma Senator Moses Wetangula made their first stop in Cheptais, Chwele, Sirisia, Bumula and later converged in Posta Ground for the rally, the second team led by NASA’s presidential candidate running mate who is also Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka and ANC party leader Musalia Mudavadi were in Kimilili, Tongaren, Webuye then joined the first team at Posta ground.
The tight race between Ford Kenya and ODM in Bungoma is evident given that the respective party aspirants have targeted top seats within the County. Last month, Ford Kenya through their Bungoma County Chairman and Kanduyi MP Wafula Wamunyinyi had reiterated that Bungoma is a Ford Kenya zone and other NASA coalition parties should keep off. He had outlined how Ford Kenya party leader Moses Wetangula sacrificed his ambition of vying for the presidential seat and stepped down for ODM party leader Raila Odinga and urged ODM aspirants in Bungoma to leave the seats for Ford Kenya as Bungoma is its stronghold as ODM is in Nyanza.
“We accepted to support Raila for presidential bid, in fact, Wetangula sacrificed his ambition for the presidency, we all know that Raila is in ODM but we partnered with him therefore as a coalition we are supposed to strengthen all parties, and for Ford Kenya to be strong other parties in NASA coalition should avoid fielding candidates in Bungoma County, ” he said during a press address.
NASA has fielded three aspirants for the Bungoma gubernatorial seat, who are Alfred Khang’ati of ODM, Ford Kenya’s Wycliffe Wangamati and Stephen Mutoro of ANC.
The Senatorial seat has attracted four candidates namely and three candidates are from the NASA coalition; the incumbent Moses Wetangula who is defending his seat on a Ford Kenya ticket, David Makali of ANC, Boniface Nyongesa of ODM and Jubilee’s Dr. Juma Mukhwana.