Nyoro accuses Kimunya of hijacking Kiambaa Jubilee campaigns

Wrangles have rocked the Jubilee campaign team in Kiambaa where the ruling party’s quest to recapture the parliamentary seat in the July 15 by-election faces resistance from the United Democratic Alliance (UDA).

Kiambu Governor James Nyoro Tuesday claimed the campaigns have been hijacked by “outsiders” led by National Assembly Majority Leader Amos Kimunya and cautioned that the party will suffer another defeat if his concerns are not addressed.

The divisions will further undermine Jubilee’s bid to fend off competition from Deputy President William Ruto-linked UDA, which has, for the first time, fielded a candidate against the ruling party in President Kenyatta’s home county.

Juja by-election

It was similar differences that cost Jubilee the Juja parliamentary seat in a recent by-election won by the Peoples Empowerment Party (Pep), whose candidate was backed by the DP.

Mr Nyoro, who was accused of bungling the Jubilee campaigns in Juja, which is also in Kiambu, Tuesday told the Nation that he had been side-lined in Kiambaa, yet he is the area county chief “who understands the needs of the people he leads”.

“The governor can go to any corner of his county and interact with his people. Now the Kiambaa by-election campaign has been hijacked by Kimunya, Mr Ngunjiri and Mr Mwathi, who are outsiders, and they don’t understand the political dynamics in the area .They are misleading the Jubilee Party and if this is not addressed, it will reflect badly next month,” Mr Nyoro said.

Nation.Africa contacted the three MPs but they did not respond.

Misleading party executives 

The governor argued the group does not understand political dynamics of the area and are misleading party executives that they will deliver victory next month.

He also accused Mr Kimunya of making unpopular statements that will rub the electorate the wrong way.

The tiff between Mr Nyoro and Mr Kimunya started to emerge on Sunday when a Jubilee brigade that included 10 MPs allied to President Kenyatta attended a church service in Gachie and thereafter hit the campaign trail in the vast constituency to rally support for the party’s candidate, Mr Kariri Njama.

Kimunya’s ‘threat’

When he rose to speak, Mr Kimunya   told the worshippers that if they don’t vote for the Jubilee candidate, the billions of shillings that the government has lined up to fix roads in the region will be diverted to other areas.

“People of Kiambaa, let me tell you , if you don’t vote  for our candidate Kariri Njama, all the billions  we have promised you will be shifted to other areas. Don’t think you are the only ones who need all these resources,” Mr Kimunya told the congregation.

Mr Nyoro said Mr Kimunya’s remarks were out of order and appeared to threaten voters instead of being persuasive.

“How do you threaten the people you are seeking votes from instead of being persuasive? All Kenyans are entitled to equal distribution of resources and Mr Kimunya’s remarks might be used by our rivals to incite the voters,” the governor said.

Campaign millions

But insiders told the Nation that the conflict is also being fuelled by the fight for the control of millions of shillings that Jubilee is spending in the campaigns to ensure victory. 

"Don't think that these people are interested on who wins in Kiambaa or not. Politics is more of capitalising on the situation and making it as profitable as you can. For lack of a better word, politics is more like a business where everyone tries to make a huge margin as much as possible. The key thing here is campaign money, nothing else," a Jubilee insider told the Nation.

The Kiambaa seat fell vacant following the death of Paul Koinange, who succumbed to Covid -19 related complications in March.

Stiff competition

Jubilee is facing stiff competition from the UDA candidate John Wanjiku.

UDA is targeting young people in the informal sector by boosting their businesses through purchases as part of the hustler campaign.

Both Jubilee and UDA have also fielded candidates in Muguga Ward, a seat that fell vacant after the MCA, Eliud Ngugi, died of Covid-19 early this year.

Stung by the humiliation in Juja, Jubilee is keen to secure Kiambaa and Muguga Ward seats in order to fight off the narrative that the popularity of the president’s party is waning in his backyard.

In Juja, the ruling party’s Susan Wanjiku lost to Mr George Koimburi, who was vying on Pep, which is linked to Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria, an ally of the DP.

UDA is also banking on a victory in Kiambaa not only to bag its first parliamentary seat but to also give the impression the new party is vanquishing Jubilee in Mount Kenya where the ruling party has been dominant since President Kenyatta was elected into office in 2013.

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