Kimunya tells off Kiraitu over claims

By NATION CORRESPONDENT  ( email the author)

Posted  Saturday, February 2  2013 at  00:30

In Summary

• The wrangles started after Mr Kimunya was awarded The National Alliance ticket to defend his seat before the results were announced.

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Transport Minister Amos Kimunya on Friday denied links to powerful forces in State House.

Instead, he accused Cabinet colleague Kiraitu Murungi of dragging State House into the wrangles surrounding party primary elections in his Kipipiri constituency.

The wrangles started after Mr Kimunya was awarded The National Alliance ticket to defend his seat before the results were announced. The results were not announced after his main challenger, Mr Samuel Gichigi, alleged rigging.

Mr Gichigi then defected to the Alliance Party of Kenya (APK), led by Mr Murungi.

However, when he presented his papers on Thursday, they were rejected on the grounds that the APK had not cleared him.

Party secretary-general Beatrice Elechi said people claiming to be from State House had been making frantic efforts to have Mr Gichigi’s candidature withdrawn.

Mr Murungi also said he had also received reports of the alleged State House pressure.

Sympathy votes

Mr Gichigi had to rush to Nairobi to get clearance from the APK and it was only after his lawyer presented his papers in the evening that he got the go-ahead to run.

But yesterday Mr Kimunya said Mr Murungi was looking for sympathy votes for himself and other people who he said lost the race for the TNA ticket.

“Kiraitu has never been a good friend of Uhuru (the Jubilee presidential candidate) and that is why he is in a ‘bus’ without a driver and is allowing passengers to board to nowhere. Kiraitu wants to deny Uhuru the Meru vote and hold him to ransom when Parliament convenes,” he said in Kipipiri after receiving his certificate.

Mr Kimunya said he had been associated with State House for the past decade and would continue doing so.

“I will continue to be associated with State House because I believe Uhuru will be elected and maybe in future I could seek the same seat”.

He accused his opponents of using unorthodox means to deny Kipipiri voters a chance to elect him saying he won the nomination that was later contested at TNA, IEBC and in court.