Jubilee party and Kanu senatorial candidates wrangles in Laikipia County threaten to split the Azimio la Umoja coalition in the region.
This comes after the Azimio la Umoja coalition stated that they could adopt a consensus method in some regions in selecting the strongest candidate within the coalition to avoid splitting their votes and giving an upper hand to their competitors outside the coalition.
In Laikipia County, the wrangles between Kanu and Jubilee could give an easy win to the incumbent Laikipia senator, John Kinyua, who is defending the seat under UDA.
Jubilee and KANU officials from the county have started piling pressure on the incumbent Laikipia county deputy governor, Mr John Mwaniki who is also vying for the senator’s seat, to drop his bid in favor of Maina Njenga, Ex Mungiki Leader, who is vying for the seat using a Kanu ticket, under the Azimio la Umoja coalition, insisting that the latter is stronger than the former.
Speaking at Theria village in Laikipia County, Laikipia branch KANU Secretary General Daniel Wakahe and party’s branch chairman Peter Njoroge, accused Mr Mwaniki of refusing to step aside for Mr Njenga despite opinion polls and research indicating that Mr Njenga was the strongest candidate under the coalition.
Wakahe noted that the move by Mr Mwaniki was threatening to split the coalition and its support in the region. He feared that the rivalry might give an upper hand to Mr Kinyua, a candidate supported by Dr Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party that forms the Kenya Kwanza coalition.
“We are not going to sit down and watch as our candidate, who is the most preferred candidate, is being mistreated by other candidates,” said Mr Njoroge.
Eight contestants are flexing their political muscles as they seek to wrestle the senator’s seat from the incumbent John Kinyua of Dr Ruto’s UDA Party.
