Malala to Barasa: Stop being a cry baby, lets meet at the ballot

Ruto and Malala have bought Chebukati, they intend to manipulate the governorship results, we are sure we are going to win these elections, a former MCA can't defeat us - said Barasa.

By Dennis Avokoywa, Kakamega

The former senator of Kakamega county Cleophas Malala has rubbished off claims arising from his Azimio’s rivals that is being favored to IEBC by the Kenya kwanza leadership led by the recently elected president William Ruto in his bid of becoming the county’s governor.

"While our opponents were popularising their party we were busy selling our manifestos, I was ready for the election on 9/8/2022, my bid isn't dependable to Ruto's position," said Malala.

According to Malala’s rivals, they alleged the move to postpone the county’s gubernatorial elections is a move spearheaded by Ruto to IEBC aiming to jeopardize the county’s elections just like the way the general elections were interfered with.

“Ruto and Malala have bought Chebukati, they intend to manipulate the governorship results, we are sure we are going to win these elections, a former MCA can’t defeat us”, said Barasa.

“We only need the county returning officer for elections to be held, not Chebukati, we aren’t buying into IEBC’s excuses of insecurity constraints that keeps them postponing the elections”, Said Ayub Savula, Barasa’s running mate.

While responding to Azimio’s claims, Malala said, both parties were affected by the postponement of the gubernatorial elections urging his rivals to go seek court interventions if they feel IEBC’s move isn’t satisfactory to them.

“While our opponents were popularising their party we were busy selling our manifestos, I was ready for the election on 9/8/2022, my bid isn’t dependable to Ruto’s position,” said Malala.

Contrary to IEBC’s directive of politicians not to conduct campaigns, Malala said according to the constitution campaigns are only stopped 48 hours before elections vowing he will keep on campaigning until the commission announces a date for the by-elections.

“We will campaign until when the commission set’s a date for the by-elections, no one was forced to seek for leadership nor use his money to the campaign,”. Malala added.

Barasa and his team went to court to sue IEBC for causing them to use money campaigning yet they were not ready for the election.

Recently, Kakamega County returning officer Joseph Ayatta cautioned candidates against going on with the campaigns

Meanwhile, Kakamega gubernatorial aspirant Fernandez Barasa and his deputy Ayub Savula have filed a petition at the Kakamega High Court seeking to compel IEBC to conduct elections in Kakamega on 23rd August 2022 as earlier scheduled. 

Speaking in Kakamega, the leaders took a swipe at the IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati for meddling in the Kakamega gubernatorial contest by frustrating voters who were ready to cast their vote. 

The move by Chebukati, the leaders said is a scheme to subvert the will of the people of Kakamega by imposing unpopular leaders on them -allied to the Kenya Kwanza coalition. 

They revealed that the Kakamega county IEBC presiding officer, had assured gubernatorial candidates -across the political divide- that they were ready to conduct the election on 23rd given the prevailing peaceful environment in Kakamega, and therefore Chebukati’s assertion that the IEBC staff were being intimidated and harrased holds no water, and should not affect Kakamega elections. 

They further exuded confidence that they will emerge victorious when elections are called, calling upon their supporters to be peaceful as they wait for the election day to be announced. They were speaking during a press briefing in Kakamega.

Ends