My rivals tried to intimidate me, Anne Waiguru claims

Kirinyaga governor Anne Waigiru speaking during a press briefing on Thursday, August 11. [File, Standard]

Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru has accused one of her competitors of using intimidation and violence against rival candidates and their supporters.

Though Waiguru did not directly mention names, she insinuated that her opponent Wangui Ngirici had sent goons to barricade roads and tried to wreck her vehicle.

Waiguru, in a media briefing on Thursday, August 11 at Kianyaga boy's high school, accused Ngirici of failing to accept results in constituencies where she was tailing.

"There was a constituency, for example, that she beat me, and I was not all over the place complaining. I did not even go to ask for a re-tally. We waited for the announcement and we moved on," the county chief said.

"So, if I beat her in another constituency, it shouldn't be that you only accept the results when you win, when you use you do not accept."

Waiguru also claimed that goons had been sent to harm her.

"When we were coming in they were blocking the road and wanted to hit my car. It is not acceptable, it is very primitive...They were going to harm me, it is unfortunate that they used goons to intimidate candidates and supporters," she alleged.

The Standard, could not independently verify her claims.

Earlier, Kirinyaga governor candidate Ngirici demanded the re-tallying of votes at the Gichugu Constituency Tallying center. She argued there were anomalies that could only be cleared by a re-tally.

The Gichugu returning officers agreed to a re-tally of the governorship votes, where Waiguru led in that specific constituency after garnering 36,675 votes while Ngirici got 21,285 votes.