Cabinet Ministers are holding secret night meetings to plot the battle in four parliamentary by-elections.

The by-elections will pit President Kibaki's PNU and Prime Minister Raila Odinga's ODM against each other.

Last week, the Electoral Commission announced that the nomination of candidates would take place on May 26 and 27.

Although Deputy Prime minister Uhuru Kenyatta, is expected to lead the PNU/ODM-Kenya campaign in the by-elections, some PNU affiliate parties said they would field candidates independently.

On Thursday, the Democratic Party, one of the major parties in the PNU side of the coalition, announced intention to sponsor candidates.

DP party Vice-Chairman, Mr Joseph Munyao, said that the party would also sponsor civic candidates.

Kaddu has also declared that it will field candidates in Emuhaya, Embakasi and Kilgoris.

ODM candidates are paying Sh100,000 as nomination fees. Mr Stephen Mwanga, one of the aspirants who picked nomination forms, confirmed that Orange House had said the nomination fee was not negotiable.

Several ODM aspirants have met Raila and deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi, to seek their support.

Activities at the PNU secretariat on Lenana Road, Nairobi, were intense.

In Wajir North, ODM and Kanu will not carry out party nominations after the ECK cleared the two candidates who tied in the polls.

At the same time, Ford-Kenya and New Ford-Kenya are yet to decide on whether to go it alone or under the PNU umbrella.

New Ford-Kenya party leader, Mr Soita Shitanda, said party members would decide the way forward.

Meanwhile, two former Cabinet ministers have joined a group of aspirants to rally one of them for the Kilgoris seat.

Former Immigration minister, Mr Gideon Konchella, and former Internal Security minister, Mr Julius Sunkuli, joined nine other candidates in the search for a joint candidate ahead of the June 11 by-elections.

Sunkuli said the aspirants had agreed to support one candidate to unite the locals and avoid ethnic tension.