It is an open secret that Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru is not in good terms with the Jubilee Party that sponsored her election in 2017.
For the past few months, Governor Waiguru has been a critic of the party and at one point called for an overhaul, arguing that Jubilee will not have much impact in 2022 if it maintains its current way of doing things.
Many have been wondering what caused the fallout between the governor and the ruling party, considering that she was at one point at staunch member of the outfit.
Speaking during an interview on Tuesday night, Governor Waiguru set the record straight, noting that her main grievance with the party was that she and other leaders recommended for a change in strategy, but nothing was done.
According to her, Jubilee has lost ground in some of its stronghold including Mt Kenya, where she says locals embraced other parties.
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File image of Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru. [Photo: Courtesy]
“My biggest grievance is that we had said for a long time that people on the ground are losing touch with the party…Every time there was an issue, people said we need to have some sort of pulling together and ensuring that people feel that they still belong. But for the longest time, nothing was happening… Our ground, especially in Central Kenya people started gravitating away from Jubilee,” she said.
According to her, failure to address the above issue when it was raised has complicated matters for Jubilee members, as they will have to channel a lot of energy and resources in an attempt to win back supporters who’ve shifted their political base.
“When people have no emotional connection, or they feel that they have lost emotional connection, you spend a lot more energy and resources to get them back there. That really was my issue with Jubilee party…When we had a huge number of people leaving who are already elected, it is just something on the ground,” she added.
At a recent interview, Waiguru noted that she will have a difficult time defending her seat on a Jubilee party ticket.
Waiguru further noted that she has retreated and is listening to the ground before making an announcement on the party she’ll use in 2022.
