Three aspirants in Msambweni by-election have withdrawn from the race to succeed late Suleiman Dori and declared their support to an independent candidate Faisal Abdalla Bader.
Bashir Kilalo, Peter Nzuki and Bakari Sebe stood down in favor of Bader after meeting with the Deputy President William Ruto in Nairobi on Sunday.
“I Met Msambweni grassroots leaders and supporters of Sebe, Kilalo and Nzuki in Nairobi, in the company of MPs Aisha Jumwa (Malindi), Kimani Ichung’wa (Kikuyu), George Theuri (Embakasi West), Nixon Korir (Lang’ata), former Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar and former Machakos Senator Johnstone Muthama,” announced Ruto.
Ruto said that he was grateful to witness the partnership forged by the Msambweni by-election aspirants in favor of independent candidate Faisal.
On Friday leaders allied to DP William Ruto were blocked from holding a meeting at Ukunda in Msambweni to drum up support for Independent candidate Abdallah Bader ahead of the by-election.
Led by former senators Boni Khalwale (Kakamega), Hassan Omar (Mombasa) and Johnstone Muthama (Machakos), the leaders were tear gassed and denied access into Diani’s REEF hotel by riot police.
Deputy President William Ruto met an independent candidate in the Msambweni by-election, just a day after the Jubilee Party announced it will not field a candidate in the mini poll.
The DP, while addressing a joint presser with Jubilee Secretary General Raphael Tuju, conceded to the Party’s decision not to field a candidate for upcoming Mswambweni constituency by-elections citing the need to unite the ruling party.
The Msambweni Constituency by-election is slated for December 15.
The seat fell vacant following the death of Suleiman Dori in March. The ODM MP succumbed to cancer.
