Africa-Press – Kenya. The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party has declared it will challenge Jubilee Party’s win in the Muguga ward by-election.
According to reports by the Standard, on Tuesday, July 20, UDA officials announced the move arguing that most of the spoilt votes belonged to their candidate.
UDA’s chief agent in the recent mini-poll, James Gacheru announced they would be speaking to their candidate Peter Thumbi to withdraw his concession as they head to court.
Speaking at the PCEA Lay Training and Conference Centre in Zambezi, Muguga Ward Gacheru stated that their candidate lost by only 27 votes in the by-election with 110 votes being declared spoilt.
“A great majority of the 110 votes which were categorised as rejected, belonged to our candidate. Given the slim victory margin, reconsideration of the rejected votes would have a significant impact on the final tally,” Gacheru declared.
“We believe if a recount is conducted, factoring in the so-called rejected votes, our candidate will carry the day,” he added.
Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission showed that voter turnout in Muguga stood at 45.40 per cent from 18,374 registered voters.
The by-election attracted intense campaigns between Jubilee and UDA which political pundits stated was a show of might between President Uhuru Kenyatta and his DP William Ruto.
Additionally, the Muguga ward and Kiambaa Constituency mini-polls were being used as a battle for supremacy between the president and his deputy ahead of the 2022 general.
The Muguga Ward seat became vacant after the death of the Jubilee Party Member of County Assembly (MCA), Eliud Ngugi Ngige.
Famously known as Thithia, Ngige passed away on Tuesday, March 16 2021, while undergoing treatment at the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral & Research Hospital in Kiambu County.
Jubilee officials in Kiambu confirmed that Ngige succumbed to Covid-19 complications after he was admitted to the hospital for a number of days.
