A divided Jubilee team, false belief of a walkover and a protest vote against the government conspired to embarrass the ruling party in the by-election in Juja, President Uhuru Kenyatta’s backyard.
The withdrawal from the race by Deputy President William Ruto-linked United Democratic Alliance (UDA) gave Jubilee false confidence.
The Jubilee brigade underestimated the strength of the People’s Empowerment Party (PEP) whose candidate, George Koimburi, won with a wide margin.
Dr Ruto’s allies said the victories in Juja and Rurii ward, Nyandarua county, show President Kenyatta is losing grip of Mt Kenya.
According to them, the DP’s inroads in the region can no longer be taken for granted.
Before party nominations, Mr Koimburi defected from Jubilee to PEP.
He said Jubilee bosses had show open bias towards Ms Susan Njeri, the widow of Mr Francis Waititu “Wakapee”. Mr Waititu’s death occasioned the mini-poll.
PEP, a party associated with Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria, also upset Jubilee in the Gaturi ward by-election, Murang’a county, in December.
Mr Koimburi garnered 12,159 votes against Ms Njeri’s 5,764 in an election that was marred by a turnout of just 18.91 per cent or 21, 862 votes cast.
“I thank my party and the Deputy President for their support. I will work on student bursaries, roads and other projects that are important to my constituents,” the MP-elect said.
Mr Nyoro defended himself, saying he protested “because the Jubilee candidate was being rigged out”.
UDA’s Francis Muraya emerged victorious in Rurii ward while Mr Pavel Oimeke of the Orange Democratic Movement is the Bonchari MP-elect.
Despite the State machinery being deployed to help Ms Njeri – a Principal Secretary and senior government administrators in Kiambu were involved in the campaigns – the anti-Jubilee forces proved strong in the end.
The campaign team included Governor Nyoro, his deputy Joyce Ngugi, Woman Representative Gathoni Wamuchomba, Kiambu Town MP Jude Njomo and County Jubilee Caucus chairman Elijah Njoroge, who is also the Biashara ward representative.
Party insiders told the Daily Nation that fights over who would lead the campaign and how resources would be utilised undermined the drive.
Apart from the bickering, UDA’s surprise withdrawal from the race prompted the feeling that the greatest threat to victory had been neutralised.
When asked about the campaign last week, Mr Njoroge retorted: “You do not campaign for what you have already won.”
The Biashara ward representative added that the ground was pro-Jubilee and that Juja residents knew what President Kenyatta wanted from them.
Following the loss, Mr Njoroge told the Daily Nation yesterday that the outcome is a protest vote “and it is time the President directly addresses his restive Mt Kenya base”.
A party official who attended some of the campaign planning meetings blamed everything on Mr Nyoro , Mr Njomo and Ms Wamuchomba.
Anti-government sentiments
“The choice of the lead campaign team was wrong. We only worked hard to lose the seat. Let them open up and tell the truth. The fighting in our campaign team was shocking,” the source said, adding that the party should learn from the Juja defeat and do things differently in the upcoming Kiambaa constituency by-election.
Jubilee rivals capitalised on the infighting and the anti-government sentiments sweeping across the region to pull a surprise in the race that attracted 11 candidates.
Mr Koimburi team attributed its success to Mr Kuria, one of Dr Ruto’s strong backers in Mt Kenya.
In an apparent reference to President Kenyatta, Nakuru Senator Susan Kihika said “his grip of the Mountain is only a mirage”.
“The week has been a nightmare for someone. His ‘on-life-support’ party lost in Rurii, Juja and Bonchari. The deep state system is a scandal,” she said.
“Nobody is more powerful than a people united against dictatorship,” he said.
