Carnival mood in Othaya as Mary Wambui wins

OTHAYA town was last evening thrown into a carnival mood after Mary Wambui won the Othaya parliamentary seat.Wambui, who was vying for the seat on a TNA ticket, was declared winner with 16,285 votes.

She was followed closely by Nairobi lawyer Peter King’ara (GNU) who garnered 14,218 while President Kibaki’s preferred candidate Gichuki Mugambi (Saba Saba Asili) came a distant third with 10,972 votes.

As Wambui had said in her campaigns, Othaya voters dismissed Kibaki’s endorsement of Mugambi.

More than 500 of her supporters went around the town last evening immediately the Othaya returning officer James Mbai announced that she had won.

Wambui was taken round the town with jubilations and ululations with women singing "mama wetu, haki yetu".Wambui, her daughter Winnie and her supporters had been camping at the Othaya CDF Hall, the constituency's tallying centre, since Monday evening.

It remains to be seen how Wambui will work with the President,he will still be working with Othaya people in his retirement.Wambui was locked out of presidential functions in Othaya, where Mugambi was endorsed by Kibaki.

 Kibaki’s children Jimi and Judy also endorsed Mugambi, who has been the chairman of the Othaya Development Association for 10 years.

Kibaki, who has been the Othaya MP for the last 38 years, has also been campaigning against her saying she is not learned and cannot articulate issues.

Earlier, there was tension in the tallying centre when the returning officer delayed the results for more than 30 minutes.There was confusion when King’ara’s supporters complained that there was a ‘stranger’ in the IEBC dais, an issue which made the tallying halted for more than two hours.

Othaya town had 47,231 registered voters, 43,310 of whom turned out to vote.