Labour to support Uhuru's re-election bid, Ababu says
Labour Party of Kenya leader Ababu Namwamba (sitting, right) with the political group's chairperson Julia Ojiambo (sitting, left) in Nairobi on March 11, 2017 when it announced it would support President Uhuru Kenyatta's bid for re-election in the 2017 General Election. PHOTO | ANTHONY OMUYA | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Ababu Namwamba said he had high hopes the President and Deputy President William Ruto would easily get re-elected.
- The lawmaker defected from the Orange Democratic Movement late last year.
The Labour Party of Kenya (LPK) will support President Uhuru Kenyatta’s re-election bid, its leader Ababu Namwamba has said.
Mr Namwamba said he had high hopes the President and his deputy William Ruto would easily get re-elected and it was a good idea to join them.
The lawmaker defected from the Orange Democratic Movement late last year after differing with the party's leaders but remained non-committal on whom his party would back for the presidency in this year's General Election.
Mr Namwamba, who is also the Member of Parliament for Budalangi, said his party had a right to associate with other like-minded entities and he had been enjoying democracy since he joined the LPK.
The party’s top brass on Saturday made a resolution to support President Kenyatta due to his elaborate development agenda, he said.
“This is not ODM where I had no say. In ODM, people would wear white clothes during the day but put on black at night. The party was full of sycophants. I never wanted to be one so that is why I left,” he said.
Mr Namwamba said the LPK would not wind up to join the Jubilee Party but would remain independent – fielding other contestants in various political posts.
Some Jubilee Party leaders have not been receptive to political parties seeking a working relationship with it outside the party’s frame work. Other parties who wish to support the President without folding up have been dismissed for attempting to weaken the political group at the grassroots.
LPK chairperson Julia Ojiambo said the Jubilee Party was the political party to beat in the the election.
“We have decided to do so after consulting widely within the party. We followed what the youth, women and party leaders told us. We thought this is a step in the right direction,” Dr Ojiambo said.
