Nairobi politicians dismiss Kenneth over Ruto rigging claim

What you need to know:

  • Mr Ruto was the mastermind behind an alleged rigging scheme that saw him lose the Jubilee ticket for Nairobi governor to Senator Mike Sonko, Mr Kenneth says.
  • The group has vowed to remain in Jubilee and support the re-election of President Uhuru Kenyatta, saying they believed in his leadership, manifesto and agenda for the country.

A section of Nairobi Jubilee Party politicians have hit out at Peter Kenneth over his claims that Deputy President William Ruto was to blame for his loss in the party’s primaries.

This comes against a backdrop of allegations by the former Gatanga MP that Mr Ruto was the mastermind behind an alleged rigging scheme that saw him lose the Jubilee ticket for Nairobi governor to Senator Mike Sonko.

Mr Kenneth, vying for the seat as an independent candidate, accused Mr Ruto of camping at the party headquarters in Pangani, Nairobi, during the nominations from where he schemed the rigging plot.

Under a group calling itself "Uhuruto Season 2", made up of aspirants who lost in the Jubilee primaries in Nairobi, they told off Mr Kenneth, saying Nairobi voters made the choice and not Mr Ruto.

“We are very disappointed that you can go blaming your loss on everyone yet it is the voters who made the choice and not any other person.

REMAIN IN JUBILEE

“Blame everybody else but not our DP,” said Wangui Ng’ang’a, the chairperson of the group and an aspirant for the Nairobi County woman representative seat, who lost to incumbent Rachel Shebesh.

The group has vowed to remain in Jubilee and support the re-election of President Uhuru Kenyatta, saying they believed in his leadership, manifesto and agenda for the country.

At the same time, Mark Mwenje, the group’s treasurer, attacked Nasa presidential candidate Raila Odinga over the land remarks he made during a rally in Kajiado.

“The sentiments were made solely to divide Kenyans yet people buy land on the basis of willing buyer and willing seller,” said Mr Mwenje.