[Nakuru governor Kinuthia Mbugua. He has refuted claims that he has ditched Jubilee Party. Courtesy: The Star]
Nakuru governor Kinuthia Mbugua has dismissed media reports indicating that he has ditched Jubilee Party days after he lost the party ticket during the primaries.
In a statement on Wednesday, Mbugua maintained that he was firmly in Jubilee Party, adding that he will back President Uhuru Kenyatta's re-election bid during the August polls.
“Reports in sections of the media that I am planning to run as an independent candidate are false, probably engineered by my opponent. I have not given the pronouncement,” he said.
“I strongly support President Uhuru Kenyatta’s re-election bid ahead of the August 8 general election,” he added.
Governor Mbugua lost the party ticket to former NTSA chair Lee Kinyanjui.
He garnered 150,137 votes against Kinyanjui's 216,385 votes.
He lodged a formal complaint with the party's Tribunal, contesting the results, citing massive electoral irregularities during the nomination process.