UDA overturns Kihangi's win for Naivasha MP, says Jane Kihara won by 1 vote

Naivasha Mp Jane Kihara casts her vote during UDA nominations on April 14, 2022. [Antony Gitonga, Standard]

The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party Disputes Resolution Committee has overturned John Kihagi's win for the Naivasha parliamentary seat.

This is after the committee found that the incumbent MP Jane Kihara got a vote more than her rival Kihagi.

In documents seen by the Standard, the committee stated Kihara clinched 9,904 votes while Kihagi garnered 9,903 votes.

"In the end, the committee finds that... Jane Wanjiru Kihara obtained the highest number of votes. As such, she ought to have been declared the validly nominated candidate," read the document.

The committee, therefore, ordered Kihagi to issue a nomination certificate, previously presented to him, to Jane Kihara.

In its findings, the committee realised that the tally announced on April 14 had not indicated votes from Maua Primary School and Milimani Secondary School polling stations. In the polling stations, Kihara had garnered 57 and 23 votes respectively while Kihangi got 35 and 16 votes respectively.

"The Committee finds that the failure to include the results of Maua Primary School polling station and Milimani Secondary School polling station in the final tally had a significant bearing on the final outcome that overturns the results as announced by the Returning Officer for Naivasha constituency and rejects the assertion by Counsel for the 1st Respondent (Kihagi) that their non-inclusion was insignificant and had no bearing on the final result.

"The Committee finds that when the results from the aforementioned polling stations are added to the final tally, which the Committee has confirmed to be 9852 votes for Kihagi and 9824 votes for Kihara, the result is that Kihagi garnered 9,903 votes to Kihara's 9904 votes."

While making her applications to the disputes committee, Kihara accused her rival of perpetrating grave offences including transporting ballot materials to polling centers instead of the appointed party officials.

"This happened specifically in Rutere and Gituru polling centers where due to the logistical challenges initially experienced, Kihangi took over the transportation of ballot materials," she said.

Additionally, she accused Kihangi of intimidating and threatening voters.

"According to her (Kihara), the presiding officials at a number of polling stations acted in breach of their official duty and colluded with Kihangi for purposes of giving an undue advantage to him," read the document.