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Amani National Congress leader Mudavadi talks down political endorsements

Monday, October 4th, 2021 00:39 | By
Amani National Congress party leader Musalia Mudavadi congratulates his Nairobi county party chair Brian Mulamwa and his wife Susan Akinyi when he attended their wedding at the Redeemed Gospel Church in Buruburu, Nairobi, yesterday. Photo/PD/GERALD ITHANA

Amani National Congress (ANC) party  leader Musalia Mudavadi has dismissed the so-called political endorsements and insisted leaders should engage Kenyans at the grassroots to get votes.

Mudavadi who was speaking yesterday after attending a church service at Redeemed Gospel Church in Nairobi maintained that Kenyans will be the ones to make the final decision on who will be their president come next year.

“The greatest endorsement for any politician is when the voter has cast his or her vote and they have decided that they want you to lead them.

No matter how many endorsements you get out there, Kenyans will have the final decision,” said Mudavadi.

 The ANC leader’s comments come amid the ongoing talks that President Uhuru Kenyatta loyalists in Mt Kenya will back opposition chief leader Raila Odinga for the presidency.

Preferred successor 

On Wednesday last week, President Kenyatta also hinted on having Odinga as his preferred successor.

“When we came together, didn’t we experience peace? So where is the problem?

That is why I am very grateful to your hero, who is my elder brother (Raila) because after we brokered peace, development was witnessed and jobs started being created. Isn’t that what you want? Don’t you want that work to continue?

It is up to you. Will you make the right choices? Let’s see how you will make it,” the President said last week during his development tour in Kibra constituency.

Nevertheless, Mudavadi exuded confidence in his candidature saying that he will crisscross every part of the country engaging like-minded individuals to transform the country.

“Sometimes it doesn’t mean that the loudest are the majority. We may be silent but soon we will be making inroads as we engage Kenyans,” he said.

Further, Mudavadi urged religious leaders to encourage young people to come out in large numbers and register as voters.

The ANC leader also called for peace and political tolerance as the country enters the electioneering period saying every person seeking votes should be able to do so without intimidation.

He said no person should incite voters into violence and ‘locking’ of regions. “As politicians, we should play politics of tolerance while preaching peace. Every Kenyan should be able to walk, work and seek votes in any part of the country,” he said.

Political engagement

Calling on the church in the country to speak the truth and lead Kenyans in making the right choice in next year’s General Election, Mudavadi asked the church to remain non-partisan in political engagements in the country.

Assuring the public that he is going for the top seat, Mudavadi said, “I have experience and the ticket from my party to vie for the presidency in next year’s elections. Anything short of that is not within my making.”

He added: “I have been in Government for some time. I have held several ministerial positions before.

This is the path of my political and Cabinet experience in matters of government and how things are run.

The experience I have garnered now informs my decision to form the coming government next year.”

Speaking separately at Deep Sea slums in Kangemi, Nairobi Gender Chief Administrative Secretary Beatrice Elachi and Westlands MP Tim Wanyonyi rallied slum dwellers to register en mass.

“The only way to break the poverty circle is through voting upright leaders who care about your welfare, mainly education, housing and health,” said Wanyonyi.

On her part Elachi urged the slum dwellers to register as voters at the places where they spend most of their time.

 Elachi said they are targeting an additional 800,000 new voters in Nairobi going by the latest census.

“We are telling Kenyans not just to register but look for places where they will also cast their votes.

In the past we have witnessed a situation where people register but end up migrating to other places,” se said.

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