Nyeri gubernatorial candidates clashed publicly on Thursday during a function attended by Deputy President William Ruto.
Senator Mutahi Kagwe and Governor Samuel Wamathai verbally chided each other at the function where Ruto issued Sh58 million to dairy farmers.
"I think the people of Nyeri should show gratitude to the Jubilee Government for all the projects undertaken in the county," Kagwe said.
He lauded President Uhuru Kenyatta's government for the continued support of the county and asked residents not to be fooled by the National Super Alliance (NASA).
"As you vote for the Jubilee Party, do not forget to vote for me as your governor come August 8, as I have already informed you the seat I want," Kagwe said.
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Kagwe, who preceeded Wamathai in addressing the crowd, insisted that they were good friends even though he was sitting on the gubernatorial position temporarily.
But Wamathai spelled out several projects that the county government was carrying out in the region.
"We have free artificial insemination services for our dairy farmers, and we are calling on all farmers to form a union so that we can support you financially so that you can carry out value addition on your produce," Wamathai said.
The governor then asked the residents for support to enable him continue with the projects that he said have been going on for the past four years.
"I think I am equal to the task. There is no need for a change of guard," Wamathai said.
However, Ruto steered clear of the local politics as he said the Jubilee Party was going to let the people decide on their preferred leaders through a nomination process.
"As JP, we know that our preferred presidential candidate is President Uhuru Kenyatta and I am his running mate. However for the rest, only the voters can make a decision, we do not have preferred candidates," Ruto said.
He said the reason the Opposition was having a difficult time trying to unify five parties was because they were focussed on pleasing certain ethnic communities instead of the wellbeing of the whole country.
