Murang’a Governor Mwangi wa Iria beats odds in bid for second term

 

 

Murang’a Governor Mwangi wa Iria overcame several political landmines before he was cleared to seek re-election on Thursday.

“My political detractors have taken me through a trying journey politically, but given my resilience and the passion to serve Murang’a people, I have remained strong and unwavering. I am ready to complete the projects we started,” Wa Iria said.

Murang'a Governor Mwangi Wa Iria during an interview. (Photo: David Njaaga/Standard)

On Wednesday, a resident of Murang’a filed a case seeking to stop the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) from issuing the governor with a clearance certificate over alleged integrity issues.

But the court threw out Ndegwa’s petition, paving the way for Wa Iria to obtain his clearance certificate from IEBC.

A week ago, the governor appeared before the Political Parties Tribunals in a case where Kigumo MP Jamleck Kamau was seeking to stop Jubilee Party from presenting Wa Iria as Jubilee’s nominee for the county’s top seat.

Higher hand

Kamau accused Wa Iria and Jubilee Party of election malpractices, saying the party’s voter register was not used in the nominations, allowing non-members to take part.

The MP said it was not possible that 203,941 people turned up for the nominations as Murang’a has 119,836 duly registered Jubilee members.

The tribunal ordered a repeat of the nominations within 48 hours. But the top Jubilee leadership prevailed upon Kamau not to contest, paving the way for Wa Iria to defend his seat.

“President Uhuru Kenyatta was briefed on the ruling and the ramifications it would have on the party. It was agreed that Kamau be convinced to drop his quest,” said a senior party official.

Saturday, Wa Iria said he was happy that he can now concentrate on campaigns to recapture his seat. “I will win with a big margin in this election,” he told Sunday Standard

Wa Iria has picked former Kandara MP James Maina as his running mate.