Kutima claims Raila party using Savula to wreck DAP-Kenya
A war of words has erupted in Democratic Action Party-Kenya (DAP-K) in Kakamega county over claims that some are seeking direct nominations through the back door.
Mistrust has infiltrated the Defence Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa-led party with two camps emerging. Deputy Governor Prof Philip Kutima claims Lugari MP Ayub Savula is being used by the Orange Democratic Movement to kill DAP-K in the county.
Savula has dismissed the allegations, saying he is the face and force behind DAP-K in Kakamega.
“I was the first leader from Kakamega to join DAP-Kenya and my focus is to strengthen it,” Savula told People Daily yesterday.
Posed Savula: “Who is Kutima in our local politics? Can the man even win a Ward Rep seat?” The MP said said he is ready to face the Deputy Governor in the DAP-K primaries and dismissed reports that he was demanding direct nomination. The county is awash with reports that Savula is under pressure from the party leadership to vie for Senate and have Kutima as the party’s gubernatorial candidate in the August 9 elections.
Azimio-One Kenya Alliance is going through a rough patch due to frictions between ODM and DAP-K on one hand and within individual parties.
Savula was the first to decamp to DAP-K from Amani National Congress in protest after his then party leader Musalia Mudavadi decided to join forces with Deputy President William Ruto.
Kutima followed suit from ODM, claiming his then party had settled on former Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Chief Executive Fernandes Barasa as their sole candidate for the governorship.
The same situation is playing out in Shinyalu constituency where the incumbent Justus Kizito joined DAP-K from ODM.
Savula yesterday accused Governor Wycliffe Oparanya of pushing him out of ODM.
