A fresh political showdown is brewing ahead of the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election after National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah announced plans to sue former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua over allegations of voter bribery.
The Kikuyu MP has dismissed claims made by Gachagua linking him to an alleged scheme to influence the outcome of the July 16 poll, insisting the accusations are false, malicious and aimed at damaging his reputation.
In a statement issued on Friday, Ichung’wah said he had never held meetings with government administrators or participated in any plan to interfere with the by-election.
“I am outraged by the totally baseless, false and malicious statements that have been made against me by Mr Gachagua concerning the upcoming Ol Kalou by-election,” he stated.
The above remarks followed shortly after Gachagua had accused Ichung’wah of organizing a meeting with Deputy County Commissioners in Gilgil where he directed them to collude with the Chiefs to pay off voters before the election.
As per the former Deputy President, the above-mentioned move was meant to influence the voters before the by-election.
But according to Ichung’wah, such accusations were politically motivated and aimed at diverting attention away from the anticipated poor performance of his candidate in the by-election.
He claimed that he had never met any Deputy County Commissioners to discuss the elections and stated that the allegations were totally false.
According to the Majority Leader, not only did the allegations attack his personal reputation but also jeopardized the public trust in the nation’s electoral system.
The Majority Leader went on saying that the allegations had transcended from mere political statements to defamation and stated that he would leave the determination of the issue to the court of law.
“Allegations of bribery of IEBC officials are not only irresponsible but are meant to paint me as a person lacking electoral and moral integrity,” said Ichung’wah.
He said that he would take legal action against Gachagua and asked him to provide proof of the allegations in a court of law.
This confrontation is one of the many confrontations that these political figures have been engaging in in the last period.
Their most recent confrontation came at a time when political campaigns for the forthcoming Ol Kalou by-elections due on July 16 were going on.