Titanic tussle as Jubilee heavyweights Kabogo, Waititu meet at the ballot

Kiambu Governor William Kabogo and Kabete legislator Ferdinand Waititu will today, April 21^st, lock horns as Jubilee Party members decide who will fly their flag come August 8.

The two vocal leaders have expressed their confidence ahead of the much anticipates primaries, with Kabogo stating that he cannot conceive a loss to Waititu given his development track record.

“For me I cannot be defeated by Waititu, because I have delivered to the people of Kiambu. I have improved the health sector plus other areas of importance,” said Governor Waititu during an interview with Citizen Extra.

This may, however, not be a walkover for the flamboyant governor as Waititu has bolstered his position by getting four other aspirants to back his bid, forming a coalition dubbed ‘United for Kiambu’.

Waititu has proven that he is a heavy-hitter politically, losing to Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero by a mere 74,644 votes in 2013 – this despite massive infighting between him and city businessman Jimnah Mbaru.

The outspoken politician now seeks to clinch position that he lost in 2013, this time in a county that is perceived as a Jubilee Party zone.

Battle lines drawn

Following his 2013 loss in Nairobi, Waititu remained active in politics with some analysts opining that he may have his eyes set on Kabogo’s seat.

Battle lines were however drawn on March 2016 when Kabogo took to the courts to challenge Waititu’s academic papers, arguing that his competitor did not possess a valid degree from a recognized university.

The Kiambu Governor said that he is an alumnus of Punjab University in India and was surprised by Waititu’s claims that he was in the same university, adding that there was no evidence proving that the MP attended Punjab University in India.

Kabogo’s suit – which was aimed quashing Waititu’s bid on account of Section 73 of the Constitution on the Integrity and Leadership Act – was eventually dismissed by Justice Joseph Onguto in December 2017.

Though Kabogo did not succeed in locking his competition out of the race, the suit and the subsequent exchanges pitted the two as bitter rivals.

Jubilee’s Kiambu primaries promise to be eventful – with ODM Nominated MP, Isaac Mwaura and businessman Simon Ng’ang’a King’ara battling it out for Esther Gathongo’s Ruiru Constituency ticket.