Most independents are out for personal gain, elders say

Mr Gilbert Kabage, the chairman of the Rift Valley Council of Elders. He says most politician's vying as independent candidates are driven by selfish interests and not the desire to serve wananchi. PHOTO | SULEIMAN MBATIAH | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Mr Kabage was said most of the candidates who are running as independents are doing so for their own selfish interests.
  • He said it is abnormal for the country to have such a huge number of independent candidates.
  • The elders appealed to the independent candidates to consider quitting the race.

The Rift Valley Council of Elders has raised the alarm over the high number of independent candidates seeking elective posts in the coming elections, saying most of them are driven by selfish interests.

Led by the council chairman Gilbert Kabage, the elders questioned the commitment of the over 4,000 independent candidates under the Kenya Alliance of Independent Candidates (KAIC) to deliver the promises they make to the electorate.

Speaking in Nakuru on Monday, Mr Kabage was said most of the candidates who are running as independents are doing so for their own selfish interests rather than for the common mwananchi.

According to Mr Kabage, it is abnormal for the country to have such a huge number of independent candidates claiming to have lost unfairly in the party primaries.

IRREGULARITIES

While acknowledging that there were irregularities in both Jubilee and ODM party primaries, Mr Kabage urged the candidates to consider issues that could have contributed to the losses before engaging in campaigns.

“Some of the candidates lost fairly in the nominations because they had failed to deliver to the electorates and it will be important for them to do a self-evaluation before using a lot of resources in the campaigns,” said Mr Kabage.

The elders said that such candidates will be in for a rude shock come August 8 as the same people who voted them out in the party primaries will be participating in the general elections.

They further appealed to the independent candidates to consider quitting the race and work with those nominated on various party tickets