• Gakure said the panel did not issue the tickets, and it only facilitated negotiations and gave its recommendations to the party.
• He said scientific methods were used to get the best candidates.
Image: Alice Waithera
The issuance of Jubilee Party tickets to aspirants in Murang’a county has left some hopefuls disgruntled as the winners celebrate.
Former Kigumo MP Jamleck Kamau was given the ticket to vie for the governor's seat and former Murang'a Senator Kembi Gitura will be the party candidate for the Senate seat.
Waithira Muithirania got the ticket to vie for the woman representative's position.
MPs Wangari Mwaniki (Kigumo), Peter Kimari (Mathioya) and Nduati Ngugi (Gatanga) received tickets to defend their seats.
In Kiharu, Karanja Mburu received the ticket for the MP seat while in Maragua, Anthony Chege was picked by the party to fly its flag in the constituency.
Peter Kinyanjui Ngugi will vie for Kandara MP seat on the party ticket.
In Kangema, incumbent MP Muturi Kigano is said to have lodged a complaint after aspirant George Kibuku was issued with the ticket.
Political analyst Peter Kagwanja said he had shelved his political ambitions to vie for the senator's position after the Jubilee Party issued a ticket to his rival Kembi.
Kagwanja had earlier complained that the panel that was determining who would get the ticket was favouring his rival and made numerous appeals to the party to ensure fairness.
Image: Alice Waithera
He had vowed not to accept the decision of the panel chaired by Transport CS James Macharia, saying it was leaning towards Kembi. He had, however, said he would respect President Uhuru Kenyatta’s decision.
Kembi has remained mum about his opponent’s claims.
After Kembi got the ticket, Kagwanja said he believed the decision by the party to pick his opponent was made with the blessings of the President and that he did not intend to oppose it.
“I respect the President and I will therefore not vie as an independent candidate. I accept his decision, but I will now shift from politics to development because I did not vie to fight with parties of individuals,” he said.
“I came out to fight poverty and it is not Wanjiku who has rejected me, it is the party. I will continue with my poverty eradication programmes moving forward but I ask the party not to misuse me because of my profession.”
Kagwanja said he had chosen to defy most of his supporters who asked him to vie as an independent candidate, saying the party is yet to ask him to support Kembi.
Image: Alice Waithera
Chege, who is vying for Maragua MP seat, said the consensus process saved the party a lot of time and resources and that it was better than holding party primaries.
He said negotiated democracy was far better than the shambolic primaries that have been undertaken in the past.
But the aspirant appealed to the party not to abandon those who lost in the process.
“I'm glad to have received the ticket but it is important for the party to ensure it continues to work with those who lost so that they can remain in the party,” Chege said.
He said it is commendable that most aspirants who did not get the tickets have accepted the outcome.
Chege, who vied for the first time in 2017, appealed to constituents to look at the aspirants’ records to decide whether to vote for them or not. He said the issue of political outfits the aspirants are vying on should come second.
He will battle it out with incumbent MP Mary Waithera, who is in UDA.
County party coordinator Gakure Monyo confirmed Jubilee used negotiation method to arrive at candidates for various seats.
He said the party has candidates from MCA to governor's seat and that it will work with them to ensure they win in August.
“Some people have complained that the process was not fair but it has been used for the first time. It was a learning process that will get better with time,” he said.
Gakure asked all aspirants to continue supporting the party, saying they do not have to be elected to work with the government.
“I am not elected yet, I'm working with the government. The government has many opportunities that they can benefit from if they continue supporting the party,” he said.
Gakure, the former Murang’a deputy governor, said the panel did not issue the tickets, and it only facilitated negotiations and gave its recommendations to the party.
He said scientific methods were used to get the best candidates.
“Many politicians are overconfident and believe they are popular even when they are not. Some even told the panel that there would be no peace in the county if they did not get the ticket, but science cannot be denied,” Gakure said.
Edited by A.N
Image: Alice Waithera