Jubilee senator Billow Kerrow has warned President Uhuru Kenyatta that he risks losing votes in Mandera County if Deputy President William Ruto continues to defy the Garre Council of elders negotiated democracy in the area.
Speaking during a public forum, Kerrow stated that Mandera Governor Ali Roba and two area MPs had defied a directive by the council not to run in the upcoming polls and DP Ruto had been secretly supporting them.
“If Governor Roba and his team continue to defy elders’ directive, then that will cost Jubilee in Mandera in terms of votes in forthcoming General Election,” the Senator stated.
The Senator asked Kenyatta to intervene and support the elders’ model of rotational leadership that blocks sub-clans in the community from holding one political seat for more than a single term.
Kerrow urged Kenyatta to respect the elder’s wishes and support the candidates that had been chosen to run for political seats during the August 8 election if he wanted to retain votes in the County.
The leaders threatened to ditch Jubilee and join the national Super alliance (NASA) if their demands were not met.
Governor Roba has maintained that he will vie for a second term in office on a Jubilee ticket despite the elders settling for another candidate. The Governor has received the backing of the DP in what could now cost Jubilee votes.
The Garre Council of elders announced that they would declare their political stand in a weeks’ time if they don’t get a response from Kenyatta.
