Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi urged the residents of Malava to treat the forthcoming by-election with the seriousness it deserves.
He has warned them against taking the electoral decision lightly reminding them that they are the custodians of their future.
Mudavadi told the voters as they prepare to elect a new MP following the death of their legislator early this year, they should reflect on which kind of leader Malava deserves.
“Reflect as on the qualities of the leader you are looking for. Think critically on who is this person who will manage your affairs well and guard your CDF among other things that will help develop your area. Who is this person who will be the custodian of the education of your children? Think of an honest leader who will work with integrity while in office,” he said.
Speaking during a meeting with over 4,000 teachers at Tande Secondary School, Mudavadi challenged the residents to vote wisely.
He said neither him in person or any other person has a plan to endorse any candidate ahead of the by-election and challenged the residents to pick a leader of their choice.
“I have come to engage you because it is a moment of critical importance to the people of Malava, the people of Kakamega, the people of Western Kenya and Kenya as a nation. The leader you elect will not only be tasked to serve the people of Malava but also the leader will be tasked to legislate for Kenya.”
“I am very consistent about the leadership of Malava. I want to tell you I am not here to support anybody. You will wait for a very long time for me to pronounce myself on any candidate. Elect your own leader,” noted the Prime CS.
Mudavadi reflected on the track record of the late MP Malulu Injendi who was a member of the ANC party then led by him, and urged the electorate to remain discerning and deliberate as they prepare to choose a new representative.
At the same time, he called on the residents to discard clan politics saying it was an outdated way of doing politics.
“Over the past few days, I have engaged chairmen of all the clans from Malava, the elders of the society, MCAs both elected and nominated, administrators, and today I am with you the teachers who are opinion shapers armed with knowledge since you are intellectuals. All is in the interest of Malava and the people of Malava,” said Mudavadi.
“This is not the time to evaluate a leader on the prism of clans. Let us rise above our traditional way of thinking about heritage when determining who becomes our leaders.”
Mudavadi called on the people of Western Kenya to resist divisive rhetoric, noting that unity of purpose is essential for development.
“We need to integrate and move away from pettiness that has been dividing us especially through lies that are being peddled everyday making us to lose focus on the ultimate goal.”
“We should stop selling ourselves short and realize that we are guilty amongst ourselves since we don’t take time to analyze our political trends seriously. We should stop being entrenched in our narrow local scope and begin seeing the bigger picture as a region,” said Mudavadi.
The Prime CS said it was challenging in Africa to defeat an African president seeking reelection, and therefore, people must be aware of the reality.
He asserted that it will be “very difficult” to defeat President William Ruto in the 2027 general elections, citing the president’s growing political influence and broad-based alliances.
“A good example is here at home, where former presidents have won reelection, from the late Mzee Daniel Arap Moi, who weathered a formidable opposition to win two terms after serving for 14 years in a single term,” said Mudavadi.
He noted that the reelection of the late Mwai Kibaki in 2007 and later that of the former President Uhuru Kenyatta were a testament that defeating an incumbent was not easily possible.
“I campaigned with the opposition leader, Raila Odinga, in 2017, and I formed the National Super Alliance (NASA) political formation. We campaigned across the country saying Nasa hao, but eventually, we were the ones trounced,” said Mudavadi.
Mudavadi asked the people of Malava and the Western region to join hands with the government so that they enjoy the development of roads, schools, and water projects in the region.
Email your news TIPS to Editor@Kahawatungu.com — this is our only official communication channel
