Waiguru opens a 20% gap lead in Kirinyaga gubernatorial race poll

Jubilee’s Kirinyaga gubernatorial hopeful, Anne Waiguru, would emerge victorious if the elections were held today.

According to a recent poll by Trends and Insights for Africa (TIFA), Waiguru enjoys a 20 percentage points difference with her closest challenger, Martha Karua of Narc Kenya.

Waiguru leads with 55% with Karua coming second with 35%. Another 7% of the voters remain undecided with 3%saying they would vote for the incumbent, Joseph Ndathi, while independent candidate Bedan Muriithi Kagai has a popularity score of 0%.

The pollster indicates that if Waiguru and Karua get 1% of the undecided voters each, the former Devolution and Planning Cabinet Secretary’s popularity score would go to 56% against Karua’s 36%.

The poll was conducted between July 14 and July 17 from a sample of 556 respondents residing in all wards in Kirinyaga County.

53% of the respondents, who are voting against Waiguru, cite the infamous embezzlement of funds at the National Youth Service (NYS) during her tenure as Devolution and Planning CS as a reason for opting against voting for her while 20% of the respondents voting against Karua highlight her poor development as a Cabinet Minister serving in different portfolios during former President Mwai Kibaki’s tenure in the helm.

Jubilee’s Popularity

According to the poll, Jubilee remains the most popular party in the region with 95% of the respondents saying they feel closest to the ruling party, 2% identify with Nark Kenya while 3% are undecided.

If the elections were to be held today, 93% of the respondents would vote for President Uhuru Kenyatta, 1% would vote for National Super Alliance Presidential candidate Raila Odinga while 6% of the voters remain undecided.

Tight race  

The poll comes one month after President Kenyatta’s visit of the vote rich county where he failed to endorse either of the two front-runners saying that he will let Kirinyaga residents vote for the leader of their choice.

“Both of them are supporting my re-election bid and you are the ones to decide the leader that you want.” President Kenyatta said.

Waiguru, a technocrat by trade at the time insisted that the President must support Jubilee candidates and dismissed the former Justice Minister as a ‘nonstarter’ while Karua insists that her integrity will appeal to voters on August 8.