Governor Kinuthia Mbugua and rival dig in for major political battle

Nakuru Governor Kinuthia Mbugua addresses residents of County Council estate in Naivasha. (photo: Antony Gitonga/Standard)

A major political battle is looming in the county after Governor Kinuthia Mbugua announced he would defend his seat as an independent candidate.

The announcement set the stage for another clash with party primaries winner Lee Kinyajui, who beat Mr Mbugua in a bruising battle for the Jubilee Party ticket.

Mr Kinyanjui, the former National Transport and Safety Authority chairman, garnered 216,871 votes against Mbugua's 150,137.

Mbugua's petition to the Jubilee Party Appeals Tribunal was dismissed on Monday, prompting him to register as an independent candidate.

On the campaign trail, Kinyanjui accused Mbugua's administration of mismanagement and wasting resources, saying the county had nothing to show for the more than Sh40 billion received from the exchequer in the past four years.

But Mbugua has maintained that his development record speaks for itself. He cites the prevailing security, which has attracted billions of shillings in investments and spurred economic growth.

Mbugua said electing a new governor would be counter-productive considering that his administration had already laid the foundation for future development.

"Five years were not enough to experience the full effects of economic development. A strong foundation is now firmly in place," he said.

He defended is decision to seek re-election as an independent candidate after losing his nomination appeal.

"There were outright malpractices that the Jubilee Party Appeals Tribunal failed to address in my appeal to unravel the mystery of winners who did not deserve to win," he said.

He described the appeal process as tedious and seriously constrained by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) deadlines.

However, the governor is expected to face an uphill task vying as an independent in a region perceived as a Jubilee zone.

The region voted overwhelmingly for President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto in 2013.

Two of his allies - Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri and his Nakuru Town West counterpart Samuel Arama want him to retire from active politics.

"The voters spoke loudly and said they want change in Nakuru. It is better that you quit respectfully and support the winner for the good of our county," said Mr Ngunjiri.

Kinyanjui has been reaching out to other losers in the party primaries to stem any further fallouts.

"Every election has a winner and a loser," he said.