Candidates express confidence ahead of Monday Kabete by-election
Former Embakasi MP Ferdinand Waititu, MPs Alice N'gan'ga (Thika) and Jude Njomo (Kiambu Town) address a crowd in Kiambu Town during their caravan after accompanying Mr Waititu to take his nominations certificates for the Kabete by-election at Wangige. The by-election will be held on Monday May 4, 2015. PHOTO | ERIC WAINAINA | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Candidates in Monday’s Kabete parliamentary by-election Saturday made their last attempts to woo voters.
Each of the 10 candidates expressed confidence that they would emerge victorious.
They have been criss-crossing Kabete in door-to-door campaigns.
Former Embakasi MP Ferdinand Waititu, who is running on a Jubilee Alliance Party (Jap) ticket, camped in the constituency on Friday and Saturday.
“In the two years I will be in Kabete, I will work diligently so that the people of Kiambu have confidence in me and give me the energy to pursue the governorship,” said Mr Waititu.
Mr Waititu said that his tenure as Embakasi MP speaks for itself, saying he initiated projects in education, health and infrastructure, and that in Kabete he will be better.
Other candidates have been urging voters to shun him.
Whereas they have been asking the electorate to pick the best among them in Monday’s by-election, they have been categorical that Mr Waititu is not the best person to occupy the Kabete parliamentary seat.
They said that they will improve roads, water, health, education and security as well as implement former local MP George Muchai’s Constituency Development Fund (CDF) projects.
George Mungai (independent), John Wamagata (Safina) and Paul Kariuki (Progressive Party of Kenya) said that if Mr Waititu becomes Kabete MP, he may not deliver, saying his interest is not in Kabete Constituency but in Kiambu County politics.
VOTE WISELY
Mr Mungai asked Kabete residents to vote wisely, saying they should separate county politics from constituency politics.
Mr Wamagata said that despite facing integrity issues, Mr Waititu’s candidature was not driven by his quest for to serve Kabete, but a plot by Nairobi politicians to minimise political competition ahead of the 2017 General Election.
“It is a well calculated move that was intended to remove Waititu from Nairobi politics.
“Nairobi politicians who include MPs have been sending city politicians to their ancestral constituencies for their personal political ambitions in the 2017 campaigns,” said Mr Wamagata.
He branded the former Water Assistant Minister an outsider.
Mr Kariuki said Mr Waititu wants to use the Kabete seat for his personal ambition to become Kiambu governor and that his election will not help the locals.
Isaiah Ndirangu (Party of Democratic Unity) raised questions about Mr Waititu’s integrity.
Kiriro wa Ngugi (Democratic Party) said that while people are free and welcome to contest for the seat, Mr Waititu is not because of integrity issues and because being an outsider, he may not be conversant with the issues affecting the Kabete people.
Others in the race are Newton Njenga (National Vision Party), Kavore Kariuki (Narc Kenya), Moses Wachaga (independent) and Wilson Karanja (ODM).
