Many of Abunwasi riddles always had a donkey in them.

Readers and  Listeners must be warned about some trickster in town attempting to frame the 2013 General Elections as a Two Donkey Race.

It is double win week for the United Democratic Forum Party:

First: Its inaugural parliamentary battle, UDF gave its rivals a scare of their lives proving it had made major inroads into key vote-rich territories on the 2013 electoral map: The week just concluded parliamentary and civic by-elections showed the UDF was a formidable force that gave a huge scare to two major rivals, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and The National Alliance (TNA).

Never before has the two-both of whom have ran and lost presidential campaigns in the past- been reduced to threatening voters they would quit politics if candidates they backed in the by-election were not elected.

ODM leader threatened Ndhiwa voters he would quit his presidential bid if voters ‘humiliated’ him in Ndhiwa by-election, while TNA leader, Uhuru Kenyatta threatened voters in Kangema he would quit politics and seek employment at a milk processing company if voters ‘rejected me’ in Kangema.

Massaging Egos

These emotional manipulations of voters had the effect of reducing the contests from being a battle between the candidates, their agenda, values and aspirations of voters for quality leadership, to massaging the egos of the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister.

Observers were quick to point out the two presidential candidates went out of their way to use impassioned threats to manipulate voters after realizing there was  a new force in town: UDF

UDF strategists were back to the drawing boards to compare notes and lessons learnt to consolidate new found insights that UDF was no longer an underdog, but a force to reckon with.

The second major scoop  came from unlikely quarters when a meeting attended by two cabinet ministers-Energy Minister, Kiraitu Murungi, and Special Programmes counterpart, Esther Murugi- and Party of National Unity Chief Whip, Johnstone Muthama announced the party was considering backing Deputy Prime Minister, Musalis Mudavadi’s Presidential bid.

The Alliance Party of Kenya (APK) announced it was just a matter of time before announcing support for Musalia Mudavadi Presidential bid.

It was the first time APK, that has been associated with DPM, Uhuru Kenyatta and V-P, Kalonzo Musyoka, threw its doors wide open to independently announce it was considering shifting support to Mudavadi.

The official communiqué after a National Governing Council (NGC) meeting at the Kenya Institute of Education (KIE), APK leader and Energy Minister, Kiraitu Murungi, said:

“The APK will work with leaders who treat us (APK) with respect, and not as casual workers who are hired in the morning and sacked in the evening…We are talking to all Presidential candidates including DPM Musalia Mudavadi…”

An unequivocal endorsement by APK would be a huge boost to Mudavadi, and the statement from the party’s NGC sent a wave of warm excitement in UDF, the fastest growing party in the country.

Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi has warned Kenyans that the inter-clan clashes being experienced in parts of the country are a bad precedent for the implementation of devolution under the new Constitution.

UDF’s Salaon Kashorda’s campaign for the Kajiado North Parliamentary seat received a boost when the party deployed Assistant Minister Nderitu Muriithi, Dr Bonny Khlwale, Dr Mukhisa Kituyi and Ndaragwa MP Jeremiah Kioni help in the vote hunt.