Former Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria has hit out at former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua after he alleged that the government used the Chama Cha Kazi (CCK) party to divide votes in the recent Mbeere North by-election.
Speaking on Wednesday, December 11, Gachagua alleged that the government approached Kuria and told him to field Duncan Mbui in the by-election.
The former DP also noted that DCP had dropped Mbui after Mbeere North elders asked him, since he comes from the same clan as Newton Karish, who was running on a DP ticket.
“Newton Karish and Mbui, who was in DCP but went to Kuria, come from the same clan, and the elders told me that if we have two candidates, it's not good. So, they asked me to step down, Mbui, so that the clan can have one candidate, and it made a lot of sense.
“I withdrew the DCP candidate, but the government approached Kuria. Kuria is part of the Ruto administration; his party, Chama Cha Kazi, is one of the many wheelbarrows I talk about. So, he called CCK to get Mbui, and who got 2500 votes; those votes, because of clan dynamics, would have gone to Newton Karish. If the votes had gone to him, things would have probably been different,” Gachagua remarked.
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In a response, Kuria told Gachagua to take a clear stand on the Mbeere North by-election, whether he believes the votes were stolen or simply split.
The former CS also said CCK will be enjoined in Karish’s election petition in court as an interested party.
Further, Kuria said he will not allow Gachagua’s plan to have the entire Mt Kenya region under a single political party, terming it as ‘dictatorship’.
“My brother Rigathi Gachagua. Make up your mind. Is it me who took your votes, or were your votes stolen?
“Chama Cha Kazi will enjoin in the Karish petition as an interested party, so you can answer me in court. But you will only introduce DCP dictatorship in Mt Kenya region over my dead body,” Kuria stated.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) on November 27 conducted a mini poll in Mbeere North in which UDA party’s Leonard Muriuki Wa Muthende emerged victorious.
Muthende won the by-election with a total of 15,802 votes, defeating Karish, who garnered 15,308 votes.
Meanwhile, CCK’s Mbui garnered 2,480 votes in the by-election.
The united opposition is planning to move to court to challenge Muthende's win in Mbeere North, saying they have secured enough evidence.
"We are preparing to go to court at any time for both Mbeere North and Malava because we have a very solid petition," Advocate Ndegwa Njiru said.
