5 January 2005
Nairobi — Kanu National Executive Committee members have complained that they were being inundated with SMS (short message service) via their mobile phones to vote in a particular way in the coming elections.
MPs Joseph Nkaissery and Samuel Moroto, who are allied to the Uhuru Kenyatta camp, said they had received SMSs on their phones to persuade them to change.
Speaking during a consultative meeting for Rift Valley party members at Uhuru's home in Nakuru on Monday, the duo claimed the text messages were being sent by former MP Amukowa Anangwe.
They told Uhuru, who is locked in a tight race for the Kanu chairmanship with Nicholas Biwott, Mutula Kilonzo, Anthony Kimetto and Chris Okemo, to prevail upon Anangwe not to use such unorthodox methods to sway their vote.
Anangwe, who is Kanu Reforms and Restructuring Secretary, is seeking to be elected Secretary General and is said to be a Biwott ally.
The two MPs said the messages were also being used to spread wrong information to members about the election, which kicks off on January 17 at the grassroots level.
In response, acting party Secretary General Julius Sunkuli told members of the committee to ignore such information, saying it was only the party secretariat that had the mandate to instruct members on the election progress and that such information was passed through recognised systems.
Separately, the secretariat has been asked to clarify if recruitment cards should be sold or given free to members ahead of the elections.
This follows confusion at the Embu Manyata branch, where rival camps have differed over the cards. While one camp is selling the cards at Sh10 each, the other one is distributing them free.
Each camp is fighting for recognition as the bona fide officials of the branch and campaigners for Uhuru.
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