Jubilee would have lost in Msambweni, hurt ties with ODM — Ngunjiri

 

Jubilee would have lost the Msambweni parliamentary seat in the forthcoming by-election and strained its relationship with ODM had it fielded a candidate.

Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu as a result lauded the party for making a decision not to field a candidate, saying it was a good move though not accepted by everyone.

The legislator said had Jubilee opted to compete with ODM, it would have risked 70 votes in Parliament for one seat that the party would have probably lost. He said President Uhuru Kenyatta initiated the Handshake that gave the party an additional 70 votes in Parliament anytime Jubilee has an issue that needs the Orange party's support.

He said in 2017, ODM had 20,000 votes in the constituency while Jubilee came third with only 5,000 votes and he did not think anything has changed in the last three years that would make Jubilee win the seat. Wambugu addressed the media in his Nyeri town office.

“We would be risking a seat that we had no possibility of winning and straining a relationship that is of benefit to the President at this time and to our party and the party agenda,” he said.

Wambugu said the Jubilee agenda is to unite the country and deliver services to the people and not to compete or show might.

“We are the ruling party. We do not need to compete with anybody; we do not need to prove anything to anybody. Going into a by-election to show how organised we are or that we can actually beat someone is absolutely of no benefit to us.”

Wambugu, who said he was sure many other Jubilee parliamentarians shared his opinion, said they will continue building a working relationship with their partners across the political divide.

Jubilee was passing a message that politics is not about conflicts or about competition but about negotiations and compromise, he added.

He disagreed with deputy party leader William Ruto that Jubilee must field candidates in subsequent by-elections, instead advising that the party look at every by-election on a case-by-case basis.

The party cannot field candidates just for the sake of it or use by-elections as a platform to compete for personal interests, Wambugu cautioned.

“As a party right now, the most important thing is to ensure we are delivering to Kenyans and we keep our country united,” he said.

The lawmaker urged Ruto to support the party position not just by word of mouth but also by action — taking a step back from the by-election and letting the people of Msambweni decide for themselves.

He said there is no need of Jubilee deciding not to field a candidate, only for the deputy party leader to support an independent candidate or one from another party.