Wamuthende to Gachagua: I won fair and square
Leonard Muthende of UDA declared MP-elect after garnering 15,802 votes.
The newly elected Mbeere North Member of Parliament, Leonard Njeru Wamuthende, has broken his silence and admitted that the just-concluded by-election race was not a walk in the park.
In an interview with the Nation, Mr Njeru explained that he had to fight hard and with the support of Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku, among other top government officials floored his closest rival, Newton Kariuki aka Karish, who was being supported by the opposition.
"It was a tight race…not an easy ride given the challenges. But to the opposition, my message is that I won fair and square, let’s meet in 2027 for another contest, which will not be easy for them," Mr Wamuthende said on Sunday when he met a section of Mbeere North residents for the first time after being sworn in.
Two voters have since moved to challenge his victory at the Embu High Court, citing massive irregularities in the November 27 poll, a move Mr Njeru said he welcomed since “it is their constitutional right.”
According to Mr Wamuthende, the opposition led by Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) boss Rigathi Gachagua was bent on denying him victory when it stormed Mbeere North to ensure that the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) did not win the seat.
"The opposition whipped up emotions to win sympathy from residents in a bid to deny me victory. They told them that a son of Mt Kenya was chased away from the government and they should not vote for a UDA candidate," he said and thanked Mbeere North residents for casting votes in his favour.
"There was an angry man who came here and tried to convince voters to reject me, but luckily, by the time he came, the residents had made up their mind to give me votes," he said in reference to Mr Gachagua.
Mr Wamuthende attributed his victory to selling his development agenda, government support and his brand name.
"I told the people of the plans I have to help them have electricity, water and good roads and ensure equal distribution and they listened. I also used my father's nickname, Muthende, which is popular in Mbeere. The opposition had no agenda and mostly dwelt on insults, propaganda and violence and that is why they lost," he said.
He dismissed claims that he won because the government spent Sh600million to woo voters.
"No such amount of money was spent. Mbeere North residents voted for me simply because I was able to explain my agenda. I also took advice from my campaign team seriously, applied it with military precision, winning the hearts of Mbeere North voters," he said.
One of the determining factors that had been advanced was voting on the line of clans, which Mr Njeru noted affected some of his votes. He, however, dismissed such politics as “outdated,” saying he does not subscribe to clannism and promised to serve all Mbeere North residents without discrimination.
"I will ensure fair and transparent allocation of bursaries and make sure that every shilling of National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) is accounted for," the MP said.
He went on: “I want to transform the lives of the people of Mbeere North within a short period before the 2027 general election. Already, I have lobbied for 68 kilometres of tarmac road and because I'm in government, I am confident the doors will open and my people will benefit.”
Mr Wamuthende polled 15,802 votes against his closest rival, Newton Kariuki's 15,308.
The total number of votes cast in the Constituency with 55,124 voters was 33,947, representing 61.9 voter turnout.
