Knives are out in PNU after polls loss

Pressure on Tuesday mounted on PNU coalition leaders to resign following the party’s humiliating performance during Monday’s three by-elections.

A section of MPs allied to the PNU affiliates demanded that national chairman Prof George Saitoti and secretary-general Kiraitu Murungi take responsibility and resign to pave way for a “more vibrant” leadership.

The MPs spoke as the coalition’s spokesman, Mr Moses Kuria, confirmed that a meeting was being planned for Friday to discuss the dismal performance during the by-elections.

PNU is smarting from Monday’s disastrous performance which saw it lose the Juja and Makadara parliamentary seats it previously held to Gichugu MP Martha Karua-led Narc Kenya.

In Juja, PNU candidate George Thuo was trounced by Narc Kenya’s William Kabogo who had successfully filed the petition challenging the former’s election.

Mr Kabogo garnered 45,020 votes with Mr Thuo a distant third with 19,366 votes behind Kenya National Congress party’s Alice Wambui with 24,326 votes.

In Makadara, PNU’s Dick Wathika also finished a distant third behind newcomer Gidion Mbuvi Kioko of Narc Kenya who garnered 19,106 votes followed by ODM’s Reuben Ndolo with 17,215 votes.

Mr Wathika who announced he was quitting politics yesterday managed 10,480 votes only.

The party also failed to wrestle the Starehe parliamentary seat from ODM after its candidate, Maina Kamanda was trounced by Bishop Margaret Wanjiru by over 3,000 votes margin.

“The problem is purely about lack of leadership, period. If you don’t have a clear leadership structure, the party will lose direction and focus. Even in the by-elections, did you see the PNU chairman, Saitoti or secretary general, Kiraitu getting involved? Not at all. They do not comment on public issues, they are simply not there. I do not blame Kamanda, or Dick Wathika or even George Thuo. I blame the leadership,” said Nominated MP George Nyamweya, one of the coalition’s architects.

Mr Nyamweya demanded that Prof Saitoti convenes an urgent meeting to discuss the performance.

“We are calling an urgent meeting to review performance and if need be, consider a change of leadership. They have to convene the meeting even if the decision to be taken will be painful."

Mr Kuria confirmed that a meeting was being planned for Friday to discuss the by-elections and consider a change of guard.

He accused Prof Saitoti and Mr Murungi of taking advantage of the coalition’s lack of nomination rules to handpick their cronies to run for parliamentary seats.

“The reason why PNU lost is because of giving direct nominations to selected candidates regardless of their ratings on the ground. This is because we do not have a machinery for handling nominations,” he stated.