Written By Ramadhan Kambi 📝
Political party primaries continue to bring anxiety and suspicion among aspirants across the country.
The Pamoja African Alliance Party (PAA) associated with outgoing Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi could be forced to go for nominations following the mass protests as a result of what many aspirants term as bad criteria for nominating candidates.
The Party faced some criticism from some of the aspirants after it resolved to use the National Election Board to conduct interviews among aspirants and announcing results that did not satisfy the majority of the party supporters.
On Tuesday PAA aspirants were summoned to the PAA house in Kilifi by the party’s Youth President Senior Samir Nyundo who also supported the idea of having a nomination.
The meeting happened even as the nomination exercise was halted after chaos erupted in some of the polling stations over alleged irregularities and lack of genuine register.
Some supporters from Mnarani demonstrated up to the PAA offices in Kilifi demanding that there have to be nominations as there were two aspirants who had made away with the ballot boxes and nomination papers.
Addressing journalists after a meeting with the aggrieved aspirants from all corners of Kilifi County Nyundo said as a youth president of the party and National Executive council member they would organize a meeting with the National elections board to address the grievances which would be nothing less than nomination.
He said the party has the financial capacity to organize for credible nomination so that every aspirant participates in the process in a fair manner.
“I would like to make this clear by today no aspirant has been issued with a nomination certificate by the party as we speak normally the board sends proposal after the process is done, and sends them to NEC for it to absorb or reject the report,” he said.
Mr Nyundo said as an NEC member he has not signed anywhere that there was a person who had been given a ticket.
Some of the aspirants had gone to social media claiming that they are the ones who had received nominations in the Party and urged the losers to support them.
Among those aggrieved aspirants include Kenneth Aggrieved PAA aspirants, Kenneth Karisa a Parliamentary aspirant in Malindi Bendera Wilson a parliamentary aspirant in Kilifi North, Kilifi South Parliamentary hopeful Sofie Kombe, and many MCA aspirants all of who were dismissed by the board without what they termed as lack of any explanation on the criteria used.
Mr Karisa said there were some party officials who were out to impose weak candidates so as to lose during the august 9 elections for the benefit of the other.
He said they really loved the party but after joining they established that the party had no democracy at all.
“I would like to tell our party leader Governor Amason Kingi to be alert, the person close to you Lucas Maitha (Spokesman) is misleading you, we have established that when lists are given out, they are changed so the guy is on a mission,” he said.
Ms Wilson on her part said it was shameful for the party to nominate a candidate without using a proper criterion kicking out aspirants who have campaigned for the party ever since it had not got a certificate.
She said PAA belonged to the people of Kilifi and aimed at making the locals have a house of their own but ended up messing everything.
“As the party leader what is your vision, did you come up with the party to keep it or you have the plan to help the people some of the board members are not qualified in the party,” she said.
Another aspirant Ms Soffie Kombe who was eyeing the Kilifi south said they loved the party as women who are the majority of voters but the manner in which things are going was discouraging.
She said many women stood firm to contest for different seats in the county because they did not want to be given positions.
“We want justice to prevail, that as women we will walk with you if you walk with us,” she said.
Ms Emily Nazi an agent of Mnarani ward where nomination was going on but halted after two aspirants took off with the ballot boxes said what they witnessed was really discouraging as they expected their homegrown party to embrace democracy by ensuring free and fair nomination.
She told Governor Kingi to ensure that the nominations are conducted or else there would be dire consequences in the party as people were not happy.
“What happened was shameful for the party a time like this when the party is in its initial stage, as residents we were tired of being swallowed by outside parties but now what is happening is sad now, we want nominations to be conducted afresh,” she said.
Alfred Majaliwa an aspiring MCA in Mwarakaya Ward in Kilifi South constituency said they have invested in the party to popularize it and warned the party leader that if he fails to take action, they will use the same force to bring it down.
