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Liole is the son of the late Francis Lotodo who served as a Cabinet Minister in the Moi regime/FELIX MAGARA

Kenya

Karua picks Lotodo’s son as running mate

Liole is a son of the late Francis Lotodo who served as a Cabinet Minister in the Moi regime/FELIX MAGARA

Liole is the son of the late Francis Lotodo who served as a Cabinet Minister in the Moi regime/FELIX MAGARA

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 21 – NARC Kenya presidential candidate Martha Karua has picked Augustine Chemonges Liole as her running mate.

Liole served as a member of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) between 2007 and 2012 and before that was a director of the Lake Victoria North Water Services Board.
“In 2004 I was appointed as a director of the Lake Victoria North Water Services Board based in Kakamega, and with Hon Karua as minister at the time we were the first to introduce new performance and transparency measures that others have been following ever since,” Liole said at his unveiling ceremony.

Liole’s experience at the EA assembly and being a Pokot are some of the reasons that led Karua to select him as a running mate. “He comes from what would be considered a small non-traditional constituency which contrasts with the usual tribal arithmetic, and he has firsthand experience of the challenges that marginal communities who have been ignored too long by their government face.”

Echoing Karua’s sentiments, the NARC Kenya deputy presidential candidate pledged to work towards improving the living standards of those who come from marginalised communities. “As someone who comes from a small and marginalised community, I know and will work to better the problems that have been ignored for too long particularly security, healthcare, infrastructure and education.”

Liole is a son of the late Francis Lotodo who served as a Minister for Home Affairs, Environment and Natural Resources as well as Energy in retired President Daniel rap Moi’s government before passing away in the year 2000.

It was then that his son returned from India where he was pursuing his PhD. “In 2000 when my father died, I had to leave my PhD studies in India to come home and care for my family. They were circumstances that many Kenyans have encountered, when they suddenly have to take on responsibilities and duties.”

On returning home, Liole contested the Kapenguria parliamentary seat but lost. “I lost an election in 2002 and as I did then, I urge all leaders around the country to accept results and urge their supporters for peace.”

“As our recent nominations show, NARC Kenya is an organised, democratic and transparent party.”

Liole holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Punjab University in India and a Masters in Economics also from India.

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The 41-year old father of four was optimistic that his just concluded term as a member of the EALA will serve him well in office should the pair be elected.

“I had to be able to negotiate with others from different communities and cultures that often times spoke different languages. Under the new constitution and the new legislative bodies created, this will be a crucial skill.”

As Karua unveiled her running mate she also hit back at those she accused of looking down on her because her assets add up to Sh56 million, “the bottom line should be human worth not worth of resources.”

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