Roundup: Kenya's main opposition agree to field single presidential candidate

Kenya's main opposition leaders agreed on Wednesday to field a single presidential candidate for the August general elections, amid calls for all parties forming the opposition coalition to remain vigilant against pre-election machinations to rig the polls.

However, the opposition under the newly-formed the National Super Alliance (NASA) did not unveil the name of its single flag-bearer as its lawyers and a team of technical experts working on the full power-sharing agreement continued to work on the rest of the deal.

"This is a refreshed coalition agreement. We are guided by the principle of good faith. We hope Kenyans are going to walk with us," said Kalonzo Musyoka, former Kenyan Vice President, the leader of the Wiper Party, one of the main opposition parties.

"The team of 12 will continue to work on the nomination rules of candidates. They will continue to burn the midnight oil," he added.

At least four main opposition parties agreed to enter an agreement to front a single Presidential candidate and agree on a formula to share all seats equitably under NASA to face President Uhuru Kenyatta's Jubilee Alliance Party (JP).

"We are looking for the common good of the nation. We are looking to form an inclusive government guided by the principles of good faith. We are not power hungry," Musyoka said.

Kenya's former Prime Minister who is also the leader of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), Raila Odinga, the leader of the Forum for Restoration of Democracy (FORD)-Kenya, Moses Wetangula and Musalia Mudavadi, the leader of Amani National Congress (ANC) and Wiper's Musyoka, all formed NASA.

"My dream has come true," said Mudavadi. "We want to unite with the trade unions, the civil society, women, youth and the national church leaders to liberate our country."

"It is the duty of every Kenyan to ensure things work in Kenya," Mudavadi said.

Kenyans are preparing to hold the General elections in August.

President Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto are running for re-election in the August elections.

Kenyatta's re-election for a second term is crucial to the unity of the ruling coalition, which is expected to back the incumbent deputy president for the 2022 ticket for the presidency.

Musyoka said that although the opposition had full confidence in the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to conduct the elections, absolute caution was required to avoid rigged polls.

"Politics is about power. We are a movement that has no intention to monopolies power. We want to share power but our opponents want to monopolies power," Mudavadi said.

The IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati announced the completion of the second round mass voter registration Tuesday, having a new list of 3.78 million new voters.

"The commission will now process all the data received from the field to the central database at our headquarters in Nairobi for further processing," Chebukati said. Endit