Senator Kembi Gitura addressing the media. [Photo/nation.co.ke]
Senator Kembi Gitura and his rival, Kiharu MP Irungu Kang’ata, clashed over the Jubilee nomination results during a church service at St Joseph the Worker Mumbi Catholic Church in Murang’a County.
Gitura claimed Kang’ata had rigged in the polls and was illegally declared the winner.
Kang’ata garnered 158,167 votes against Senator Gitura’s 146,207 votes.
Gitura, who is the Senate’s Deputy Speaker, has petitioned the Jubilee Party to conduct fresh elections in Kiharu and Mathioya constituencies.
In his petition the senator said that his rival had exploited a loophole where voters whose names were missing in the register were allowed to vote.
“Several people used the loophole to vote at more than one polling station,” he said.
Gitura said his fight against corruption in the county government had cost him as his rivals plotted his exit.
He said that opinion polls had shown that he was the preferred candidate.
“May be it is my crusade against corruption that got me where I am but whether you vote me in as your senator or not I will detest corruption with my whole being,” he said, as quoted by The Nation.
MP Kang’ata, however, denied the allegations.
He said he did not have the resources to ferry voters.
“I urge the party to dismiss that appeal and uphold my win. Surely, in a county where you are dealing with thousands of people, how many will you ferry to tilt an election,” he said.