Uhuru declines to openly throw support behind Kiraitu

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday, June 23, shied away from openly throwing his support behind Jubilee candidate for Meru Governor race, Kiraitu Murungi, saying he won’t risk losing votes from the Meru bloc by endorsing Kiraitu, given a considerable number of Meru constituents support Party of National Unity (PNU) candidate Peter Munya.

The president, who was speaking during a campaign rally in Meru County Friday, urged the residents to overwhelmingly vote for him on August 8.

“I don’t have a preferred candidate for Meru, given I warm up to either Kiraitu or Munya. Their affiliation is inclined toward the government,” said President Kenyatta.

President Kenyatta who is known for jealously shielding Jubilee candidates, made a tactical shift during his Meru tour, urging locals to vote for either Munya or Kiraitu, as he fears to lose votes from supporters of the incumbent Governor Peter Munya.

“I won’t lie to you; I know the reality on the ground; some of you (rally gathering) will vote for Munya. I don’t want to lose the votes of Meru people because of my allegiance to one of the Meru County gubernatorial candidates,” added Uhuru amid cheers from the crowd.

Munya and Kiraitu, who are perceived political allies-cum-rivals, have staged a bruising battle in one of the hotly contested governor’s race in the country, with Munya, on several occasions, insisting that Senator Kiraitu Murungi should retire from active politics, given his advancing age.

The president promised more goodies as they launched the construction of several roads in the county at a cost of Ksh3.5 billion as well as presiding over the issuance of land title deeds to residents in Timau.