Some church leaders in Kirinyaga have asked the electorate to reject leaders offering them money to vote for them in the upcoming polls.
The leaders said some of the gubernatorial candidates were dishing out money during campaign rallies to influence the election.
The clerics, under the aegis of 'Yes Pastors Forum', said some of the candidates have no development track record despite being elected leaders.
Led by their chairman Archbishop Daniel Njagi, the clerics accused one of the candidates of engaging in insults and propaganda to tarnish the image of their opponents instead of selling their development agenda.
"They are giving out money in campaign rallies to confuse voters. We are asking our people to elect leaders who have Kirinyaga at heart, those with a good development track record and have a clear agenda to move our county forward," he said.
They endorsed Governor Anne Waiguru for a second term, saying that she stands out among the other candidates because of her transformative leadership.
“We have seen the work that Governor Waiguru has done for Kirinyaga. Her development record stands out for everyone to see and therefore we want to ensure that people make decisions based on the candidate’s track record,” the archbishop said.
Reverend Stephen Kimotho and Pastor Eliud Ndegwa of Akorino Church said the governor race in Kirinyaga has attracted many candidates and therefore there is need to get the best among them.
"The contest should be about development and not insults and chest-thumping. Some of the candidates have a poor development record and are known for the wrong reasons," Kimotho said.
Citing various development projects initiated by Waiguru, the clerics said the county has witnessed development never seen since independence.
Some of the projects they credit the governor for include the construction of Kerugoya Medical Complex, cabro paving of all major towns, tarmacking of roads and supply of water.
Others include starting of agriculture value chain projects such as poultry, pig, fish, tomato and avocado farming.
They asked other church leaders to declare their stand so as to help their followers make informed decisions.
At the same time, Waiguru continued with her campaigns, this time asking voters in Mwea to support United Democratic Alliance candidates in the August 9 polls so as to help address problems facing rice farming.
Waiguru said it is only UDA which has a clear manifesto touching on rice farming.
The UDA candidate who spoke during a campaign rally at Mathangauta, Gathigiriri ward, asked voters to give her another term in office so as to continue with the transformation journey she started five years ago.
"My development track record speaks for itself. My opponents have no development agenda. That is why I am the only agenda in their campaigns," she said.
(edited by Amol Awuor)
