Former Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria has pushed back strongly against former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s claims that the government used Chama Cha Kazi (CCK) to divide votes in the Mbeere North by-election.
Gachagua, speaking on Wednesday, alleged that the state approached Kuria and encouraged him to field Duncan Mbui, arguing that Mbui’s candidacy cost DP-backed candidate Newton Karish crucial clan-based votes. He insisted that elders had initially persuaded him to withdraw Mbui from the DCP ticket to avoid splitting support within the same clan.
According to Gachagua, Mbui’s 2,480 votes would likely have gone to Karish, potentially altering the narrow difference between Karish’s final tally of 15,308 votes and UDA’s Leonard Muriuki Wa Muthende, who won with 15,802 votes.
In a sharp rebuttal, Kuria challenged Gachagua to state clearly whether he believes the election result was influenced by vote-splitting or outright theft. He added that Chama Cha Kazi will seek to join Karish’s petition as an interested party as the case heads to court.
Kuria further accused the former DP of attempting to impose a single dominant political outfit in the Mt Kenya region, terming the move “dictatorial” and insisting that the region’s political space must remain open and competitive.
The united opposition has signalled plans to challenge the IEBC-announced results in court, saying they are confident of filing a strong petition for both Mbeere North and Malava constituencies.
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