Why Kirinyaga residents prefer Anne Waiguru to Martha Karua - Polls

The latest polls released by research firm TIFA show Jubilee candidate Anne Waiguru with a stretched lead of 55 per cent against her competitor Martha Karua of Narc Kenya who stands at 35 per cent.

Incumbent Governor Joseph Ndathi who is defending the seat as an independent candidate stands at 3 per cent with 7 per cent of the respondents undecided on who they will vote for.

The respondents who disapproved of Martha Karua’s candidature attributed their decision to apparent under-development during her 20 years tenure as Gichugu MP and Minister in Mwai Kibaki’s government.

Of those who expressed their disapproval, 20% said: “She was in government for so long and did not influence development in Kirinyaga” while 12 per cent said she had been in the opposition coalition ORD (now NASA) and was a strong critic of President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Additionally, some respondents said Karua was proud, arrogant, abusive and rude while others said she had no agenda for the people of Kirinyaga.

The age factor did not influence the polls much as only 6% of those against her candidature pointing to it as a reason.

The respondents who said they would vote for Waiguru said she was the right candidate to effect changes in how things were run in Kirinyaga County while others pegged their choice on “her experience and good leadership skills” and past development record as Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry for Devolution.

The respondents also stated that Waiguru understood their problems, has a great personality and has a vision for creating employment for the youth.

Only 3% said they would vote for her because she is young.

The polls also placed Jubilee as the most popular party in Kirinyaga, at 95% against Narc Kenya’s 2%.

In the Presidential race, President Uhuru Kenyatta commands an overwhelming lead in the county with 93% against NASA presidential candidate Raila Odinga’s 1%. 6% of the voters said they are undecided on who they would vote for.