Members’ call for Bunge la Mwananchi elections
Patrick Githinji alias Kamotho and Asenabi Moha are among candidates expected to contest for the Bunge la Mwananchi presidency ahead of the polls slated for October 2023.
Meanwhile, the public watch group defacto president Calvince Okoth aka Gaucho is yet to declare his candidacy even as insiders informed Nairobi News the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commision (IEBC) could be tapped in to conduct the polls.
The last elections of this outfit scheduled for 2021 were botched amid allegations of supposed external interference from factions allied to the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party and the then ruling party Jubilee, associated with former president Uhuru Kenyatta.
The outfit’s elections are set to take place after every two years.
“It was unfortunate for political parties to infringe in the affairs of our beloved movement in August to an extent we have never recovered up to date,” an insider who spoke off the record told Nairobi News.
“Looking back, it could be that the government (at the time) and opposition made sure there was no election so they can use some of our top leaders to advance their political agenda.”
Gaucho, who has been vocal in his anti-government statements in recent times, is said to have emerged from the crisis as the outfit’s defacto leader.
Gaucho, who was among those in the front line when the opposition recently declared and led countrywide anti-government protests against among other the high cost of living, is a known ally of Azimio leader Raila Odinga and is said to be eyeing a parliamentary seat in the 2027 polls.
He unsuccessfully contested for the Landmawe ward Member of County Assembly (MCA) seat in the 2022 polls.
Members who spoke to Nairobi News called for the IEBC to conduct free, fair and credible elections when the time comes.
The Bunge la Mwananchi fora, where residents gather to express themselves against issues they believe are affecting them, are normally held at the Jevanjee gardens within Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD) and Jacaranda grounds.
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