Caption: Narc Party Leader Charity Ngilu. {Photo: Star.co.ke}
Narc leader Charity Ngilu has announced that her party is neither in the National Super Alliance (Nasa) nor President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee Party (JP).
Ms Ngilu said the National Alliance of Rainbow Coalition was not ready to join forces with either of the two national coalitions even as the country prepares for the general elections.
She said the party’s leadership is still consulting on the viability of joining Jubilee or Nasa.
“It is still early to decisively say which path the party would take,” noted the former Land Cabinet Secretary but hinted that Narc might join the “winning team” or proceed solo to the ballot.
She was speaking yesterday at a Kitui Town hotel after meeting aspirants from across Kitui County seeking to run for assorted elective seats on the party’s ticket.
The one time Kitui Central MP further revealed that Narc would not field a presidential candidate ahead of the August polls but will field gubernatorial, senatorial, parliamentary and ward representative candidates across the country.
She assured all aspirants of free, fair and credible party nominations.
Ms Ngilu, who was unceremoniously shown the door in 2015 following alleged graft in the lands docket, has set her eyes on Kitui governor’s seat currently held by Julius Malombe. The seat has also attracted Senator David Musila.
In the 2013 national polls, Ngilu unsuccessfully contested for Kitui’s senatorial seat against Mr Musila and political pundits opine that history may repeat itself on August 8.
The 1997 presidential hopeful took advantage of the aspirants’ forum to unveil her five-point manifesto for Kitui in attempts to position herself as best suited for the county’s top job.
She outlined adequate food and water, better healthcare, improved education, youth and women empowerment and wealth creation as her key areas of priority if elected as the next county boss in the oncoming elections.
Ngilu accused Malombe’s administration of falling short of people’s expectation, arguing that the residents were still grappling with the same problems they faced before inception of devolution in 2013.
“It is unfortunate the residents are still struggling with perennial water scarcity and food insecurity, poor roads network and slow-paced development yet the county has so far received over Sh30 billion share of the national budget,” she pointed out.
She also slammed the Jubilee government, which she was until 2015 part of, for “performing dismally compared to its predecessor Mwai Kibaki’s regime.”
“The administration has simply failed Kenyans in the fight against corruption, insecurity, inflation and hunger besides other factors ailing the economy. The citizenry can attest that life has never been so difficult in Kenya’s post-independence history,” she argued.
Without suggesting what political direction Kenyans should take, the onetime Kitui Central MP implored the electorate in all the 47 counties to elect their county and national leaders wisely in order to salvage their country from political ruin.