Supremacy wars rock Uhuru’s campaign in Kiambu

MP Alice Ng'ang'a

 

Supremacy battles pitting aspirants overshadowed President Uhuru Kenyatta’s campaign tour in his home county on Sunday.

Jubilee Party candidates, independents and those vying on other parties allied to Jubilee were present during campaign rallies.

Uhuru, who was accompanied by his deputy William Ruto, was on a campaign tour of five constituencies of the vote-rich county where they pitched for  six-piece voting pattern.

They toured Kiambu town, Githunguri, Ruiru, Juja and Thika town constituencies.

At several stop-overs, the President and his deputy, however, had a hard time trying to contain supporters of independent candidates and those vying on other parties who were holding banners, placards and chanting slogans in support of their preferred candidates.

The supporters carried banners bearing messages supporting the two. However, they cautioned Uhuru and Ruto against endorsing any candidate and instead advised them to let the people decide come August 8.

In Kiambu town, Uhuru and Ruto had a difficult time trying to plead with the supporters of the various candidates who were holding banners to put them down.

Jubilee nominees

In Ruiru town, the call by the President to locals to support Jubilee nominees, including Ferdinand Waititu for governor, were met with some resistance. Some supporters shouted back the name of Governor William Kabogo.

The supporters even raised banners and placards bearing the pictures and messages supporting Kabogo for the President to see.

Kabogo, who was handed a humiliating defeat by Waititu in the Jubilee primaries, will be defending his seat as an independent candidate.

He has since been elected the chairman of Kenya Alliance of Independent Candidates.

“I want you to give me people who I can work with in my second term. You never saw me interfere with the nominations, and I said that I will work with the leaders that you will nominate,” said Uhuru.

The same fate befell Ruto in the same town when he was confronted with pro-Kabogo chants and slogans, forcing the DP to make a tactical move where he hailed the governor as a close friend.

The same scenario was repeated in Thika when the duo’s efforts to campaign for area MP Alice Ng’ang’a, who is facing stiff competition from Patrick Wainaina commonly known as Wainaina wa Jungle, proved futile at Thika stadium.