Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua has denied claims that he stages public relations stunts to hoodwink Kenyans over his development record.
Mutua, whose re-election was nullified following an appeal by Wiper Party candidate Wavinya Ndeti, says he would not have emerged the winner in the August 8, 2017 polls had it not been for his development record.
Machakos County, he said, has successfully undertaken more water and road projects during his tenure than had ever been done since independence.
“It’s not bragging,” he said during an interview at Citizen TV’s Sunday Live show.
“We have discovered a system of accelerating development. If I hadn't done these things I would have lost.” Mutua said.
Mutua said he will list all water projects that he has implemented during his tenure together with their GPS coordinates so that his critics can go to the ground and prove that they are real.
The Maendeleo Chap Chap leader, who has since filed a notice of appeal at the Supreme Court seeking to overturn the appellate court's decision, admitted that there was a strong wave of support for the opposition coalition, National Super Alliance, during the 2017 elections in Machakos County.
He, however, believes that the political landscape has changed because of the popularity of the truce between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Orange Democratic Movement leader Raila Odinga.
Mutua's odds of winning a by-election, he claims, are higher in case the top court upholds the Court of Appeal's decision to nullify his victory.
“It was a tsunami. It was a big wave and people had written me off. Things have since changed and there is no Nasa wave anymore. I was being demonised for standing with Uhuru Kenyatta. I’m not afraid to go to the ballot because I will still win,” Mutua said.
Mutua reiterated his calls for President Kenyatta to deal ruthlessly with his allies who may be involved in corruption.
He did not spare county governments either claiming that some governors' pocket as much as 10 per cent of tenders awarded in their counties.