Marende drops out of Vihiga governor race after Raila’s appointment
Former National Assembly Speaker Kenneth Marende has dropped out of the Vihiga governor seat race after Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya Coalition Party presidential candidate Raila Odinga appointed him Speaker of the Senate should he win the presidency in the August 9 polls.
Marende was nominated to the position on Monday by Raila while unveiling Martha Karua as his running mate.
Marende was appointed in waiting alongside Peter Munya (CS Agriculture), Wycliffe Oparanya (CS Treasury), and Hassan Joho (CS Lands).
Marende welcomes appointment
“I did not know that I was going to be proposed as the senate speaker by Raila Odinga in the Azimio government.
“Since I believe in devolution, maybe they have accessed my competence, capacity, and ability and they have decided that I have a contribution that I can make by leading the Senate to oversee the operations of devolved units," Marende told a local media house on Monday shortly after being proposed for the position.
The former Speaker was eyeing the Vihiga governor seat on the DAP-K ticket.
Marende was seeking to unseat Governor Wilber Otichilo who is seeking his second term in office.
During his tenure as the Speaker in the Grand Coalition Government (2007-2013), Marende was credited for presiding over the debates in the House fairly despite being an ODM member then.
