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Rainbow men defect to
Moi
By Reuben Olita in Nairobi
NATIONAL Rainbow
Coalition (NARC) suffered a jolt on Friday when Democratic
party founder member, Isaiah Mathenge, defected to KANU,
claiming his party had allowed itself to be �swallowed� by
Rainbow Alliance.
The main opposition groups also
suffered another blow when eight top officials of Kenneth
Matiba�s Saba Saba Asili party also decamped to the ruling
party, thus boosting Uhuru Kenyatta�s presidential bid.
A bitter Mathenge said, �How can Mwai Kibaki allow DP,
a party I founded, to be swallowed like that, whereas I spent
a fortune to have it started?�
Mathenge, who served as
Provincial commissioner in the Kenyatta government for 15
years, said real the owners were now trooping back to KANU
while strangers had left.
The Saba Saba officials�
defection came a few days after Matiba refused to recognise
Narc leaders led by Kibaki, while admitting he had held
discussions with Uhuru over �pertinent� issues.
Matiba
lost to Moi in a contested poll in 1992. He subsequently
refused to register as a voter and boycotted the 1997
elections, saying Moi was ruling illegitimately as he never
won in 1992.
Meanwhile, newly-appointed vice-president
Musalia Mudavadi will be opposed by his brother, Kegode
Mudavadi for the Sabatia parliamentary seat, a move that has
puzzled observers.
Published on: Saturday, 9th November,
2002 |
