Kihika, Kihara at each others’ throats in Nakuru UDA primaries row

Nakuru Senator Susan Kihika has dismissed claims that she is fuelling infighting in the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party in the county, following her latest row with Naivasha Member of Parliament Jayne Kihara.

Ms Kihika has, instead, called for sobriety among leaders ahead of the UDA primaries slated for April 14.

‘Exercise decorum’

“The UDA party in Nakuru is united and there are no divisions. I urge fellow leaders to exercise decorum and avoid creating unnecessary wrangles in the party. We have a bigger task of uniting the country and we can’t afford to do that with divisions,” Ms Kihika told the Nation.

In their latest fallout, an angry Ms Kihara accused Ms Kihika of “planting seeds of discord in the party.”

She claimed Ms Kihika is supporting her opponent in the Naivasha parliamentary race, Mr John Kihagi, who represented the constituency in the National Assembly before Ms Kihara defeated him in the 2017 Jubilee Party primaries.

“We can’t allow [Ms Kihika] to continue creating disharmony in our party unless the UDA top hierarchy is sanctioning her actions,” the MP said.

Sponsor a mole

Ms Kihara accused the senator of “conspiring with Jubilee Party,” to sponsor a mole to weaken UDA from within.

“The senator has not been sincere and is teaming up with our political opponents to ensure that only her preferred candidates sail through,” the Naivasha lawmaker added.

The MP alleged that some of the UDA candidates vying for the party’s primaries have the senator’s backing, despite earlier having flip-flopped on her party of choice.

She further accused the senator of picking fights with UDA supporters, citing their row with Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri.

Mrs Kihara urged Ms Kihika to stop engaging in political fights that would harm the party’s chances of success in the August 9 General Election.

“I’m not afraid to face off with any opponent during the UDA primaries, but what we’re asking for is a level playing ground for all the contestants,” the Naivasha MP added.

However, in an interview with the Nation, Senator Kihika termed the claims as “baseless, false, and unfortunate”.

“I dismiss [the claims] with the contempt they deserve. However, given the political season that we’re in, malicious propaganda is certainly expected.”

“My one vote is in Bahati, not in Naivasha. I’m not running for MP in Naivasha, so I’m not even sure how my name is getting dragged into this sort of mess,” Ms Kihika said.

“I wish to state categorically that I’ve no preferred candidate in any constituency in Nakuru,” she added.

Mrs Kihara is expected to face her fiercest challenger, Mr Kihagi, in hotly contested UDA party primaries.

The two have been engaging in intense campaigns, with the Naivasha MP recently hosting the party leader, Deputy President Dr William Ruto.

Their political backers have clashed openly in what appears to be a neck and neck race ahead of the UDA nominations.