Jubilee MPs campaign for candidate in Kiambaa

Limuru MP Peter Mwathi helps Kieni MP Kanini Kega to wear a Jubilee jacket as they drum up support for Kariri Njama, the Jubilee candidate. [George Njunge, Standard]

Jubilee Party has marshalled its troops to counter the UDA onslaught in Kiambaa Constituency, just days to the by-election.

The Jubilee team consisted of over 10 MPs with a strategy to move in all Kiambaa wards to drum up support for their candidate, Kariri Njama.

The Kiambaa seat fell vacant following the death of Paul Koinange on March 31. 

Among those in the entourage were Peter Mwathi (Limuru), Kanini Kega (Kieni), Wambugu Ngunjiri (Nyeri Town), Sabina Chege (Murang'a woman rep), Jeremiah Kioni (Ndaragua), Jude Jomo (Kiambu Town), Wanjiku Kibe (Gatundu North), Waihenya Ndirangu (Roysambu), Rachael Shebesh (CAS Gender) and a host of MCAs from the region.

The team went to all the five wards of Kiambaa Constituency - Cianda, Karuri, Mucatha, Ndenderu and Karuri.

At Muongoiya centre, the Mwathi-led team met with residents and called on them to come out in large numbers to vote for Njama, the Jubilee candidate.

Mwathi scoffed at what he termed baseless claims that the Jubilee will lose the Kiambaa seat.

"We cannot have President Uhuru Kenyatta and Jubilee Party suffer such an embarrassment in Kiambaa,” said he MP.

Further, the Limuru MP added that Kiambaa has always supported the government and the by-election should affirm the same.

“We cannot allow a new party to make inroads here. Uhuru had so much confidence in Koinange (the late MP) and gave him a big post in Parliament. We should also show him that we are grateful by voting in Njama,” Mwathi continued.

Prove loyalty

Wanjiku Kibe (Gatundu North) echoed Mwathi's sentiments and urged residents to prove their loyalty to the president by supporting Njama.

Wanjiku asked Kiambaa residents to come out in large numbers and vote for the Jubilee candidate.

At the same time, Kega told Kiambaa residents to borrow a leaf from the Garissa by-election after the death of Senator Yusuf Haji where the residents of Garissa elected the Jubilee candidate without much fuss.

”We have a very good example that was set by the Garissa people. Upon the death of our Jubilee senator, the people went for another Jubilee candidate who won with a landslide,” added Kega.

”As much as Jubilee is a national party, its leader is from Kiambu and we are in Kiambu. You cannot afford to embarrass the president and your own party,” said he Kieni lawmaker. 

The by-election is slated for July 15.