Senator ditches Jubilee, alleges insincerity in nominations

Embu Senator, Lenny Kivuti, has mobilised his supporters to ditch the Jubilee Party, for fear of botched primaries ahead of the August polls.

Kivuti, who is eyeing the Embu Governor’s seat, claims some Jubilee stalwarts had already settled on Runyenjes lawmaker Cecily Mbarire to fly the party’s flag in the top county job contest, prompting him to move to Maendeleo Chap Chap movement headed by Machakos Governor Dr. Alfred Mutua.

Kivuti’s departure from Jubilee mirrors the unease in the President’s political backyard, despite his repeated assurances of free and fair nominations.

The Senator’s decision to ditch Jubilee for Maendeleo Chap Chap was made Saturday, February 4 after consulting 1,200 grassroot leaders who had assembled at his Kanyuambora home.

The Senator’s exit marks the political undercurrents in the county, despite President Uhuru Kenyatta’s assurances that the Jubilee primaries will be free and fair, when he recently toured the county on a voter mobilisation drive.

Embu County leaders had recently raised a red flag over party nominations, claiming that County Assembly Speaker Kariuki Mate, a key ally of Mbarire had been appointed Jubilee Director of Elections, an allegation Mate dismissed.