Saturday, January 19, 2013

Wambui, Mugambi fight for TNA ticket in Othaya

By Wainaina Ndung’u
Police officers try to contain voters in Othaya after the nomination was stopped for two hours. [PHOTOS: JOHN GATHUA/STANDARD]

NYERI; KENYA: The National Alliance (TNA) primaries turned chaotic in Nyeri with claims of irregularities, vote buying and bias among election officials.
In Othaya, the clamour for the parliamentary ticket between Othaya Development Association (ODA) chairman Gichuki Mugambi and businesswoman Mary Wambui was characterised by claims of vote buying and manipulation.
Voting kicked off after 11am following late arrival of materials from the ACK Cathedral Hall in Nyeri town.
Wambui voted at around 1pm at Mugaa-ini Nursery School while Mugambi voted at Gichichie Primary School an hour earlier after an ugly exchange with poll officials. Nyeri County TNA chairman Peter Kanyora and local OCPD Adiel Njagi had to cool down tempers.
Mugambi and his supporters disrupted voting shortly after he was issued with ballots papers for different elective posts.
Rigging claims
He claimed election officials had asked him to cut into two, his ballot papers so that the blank part could be used as an extra ballot if the station ran out of the materials.
The station’s presiding officer Paul Mwangi Njogu said it was standard procedure because they were wary of running out of ballot papers for over 1,400 voters registered in the station.
“This is a ploy to rig the election and we are aware most poll officials are on the payroll of our rivals. We know people have been claiming they have penetrated the party establishment and want to use underhand deals to clinch this nomination,” claimed Mugambi.
His campaigns ahead of the primaries have been supported by the presence of President Kibaki’s oldest son Jimmy Kibaki.
“I will only agree to lose fairly and not in a situation where there are underhand dealings and manipulation of the voting system,” Mugambi said.
But Ms Wambui avoided controversy after voting, saying she neither had the will nor the money to buy “all votes in Othaya.”
“It is a disappointment when your rivals soil your name to that extent but I have forgiven them,” said Wambui.
No sweat
Elsewhere, former Mathira MP Ephraim Maina got the TNA ticket for Nyeri senator without breaking a sweat after the party failed to print ballot papers for a contest between him and Mwangi Patrick Kimaru.
Kanyora said the inclusion of Kimaru was a mistake, which had been rectified and the ticket given to Maina.
Earlier, Maina had urged the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to help political parties hold their primaries until the country had strong parties.
“We are like a child learning to walk and falls and hiccups are a normal occurrence. With the will, the child will however finally walk,” said Maina. But parliamentary aspirant Mukami Wachira criticised TNA leadership of failing to conduct the primaries on Thursday even after aspirants paid hefty nomination fees.
“Our faith in the party’s ability to hold free and fair nominations is doubtable since kept getting conflicting reports about the logistics,” said Ms Mukami.



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