Kenyan Newspapers Review, May 16: Kindiki Kithure Was "Rigged Out" after Beating Rigathi Gachagua In DP Race – Tuko.co.ke
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On Monday, May 16, the national dailies extensively covered the running mate race in the Kenya Kwanza Alliance, which ended with Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua as the favourite.
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The publications also delved into the goings-on in the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition, which is set to unveil its presidential running mate today, Monday 16.
The publication established that Tharaka Nithi senator Kithure Kindiki was on the verge of deputising Deputy President William Ruto in his presidential bid after he (Kindiki) was voted as the favourite.
It took over 17 hours for Ruto, in the company of fellow luminaries and other Kenya Kwanza chief strategists, to settle on a viable running mate ahead of the August 9 presidential vote.
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The final shortlist bore Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua and Senator Kithure Kindiki of Tharaka Nithi; others like Governor Anne Waiguru, Alice Wahome, Ndindi Nyoro and Justin Muturi had been singled out.
It turned out to be a Herculean task for Ruto to pick either of the finalists in the race, prompting voting before settling on his potential deputy should he make Kenya's fifth president.
After the secret ballot that the coalition's high profile luminaries conducted, Kindiki garnered 23 votes against Rigathi's four, The Standard reported.
However, even after edging over the Mathira MP, Kindiki could not get the post owing to several factors, among them grassroots mobilisation skills and the appropriate temperament desired of an individual deputising a president.
The Tharaka Nithi senator said he would issue a statement on Monday after losing out on the Kenya Kwanza's presidential arithmetic.
The daily also spared space for the Kenya Kwanza's running mate impasse that was broken in the afternoon of Sunday, May 15.
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After months of speculation, Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua was named Ruto's running mate in the forthcoming August 9 General Election.
The Kenya Kwanza Alliance settled on the lawmaker after 17 hours of deliberation held at Ruto's official Karen residence in Nairobi on the morning of Saturday, May 14.
While announcing his appointment in the afternoon of Sunday, May 15, Ruto described the outspoken lawmaker as an astute debater, a successful elected politician who is a principled, resilient and fearless fighter for the right cause.
The first timer in the National Assembly comes from Nyeri, which is situated at the heart of the Mt Kenya region.
Rigathi's appointment is aimed to endear Ruto's candidature to over 5.85 million electorates in the area, according to the unratified Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) figures.
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Rigathi Gachagua: Kindiki Kithure No Show at Kenya Kwanza Running Mate Unveiling
The Star highlighted the intrigues behind the delay in the naming of Kenya Kwanza's running mate.
The Ruto-led team is said to have convened a crisis meeting after a standoff emerged between MPs that were supporting Rigathi Gachagua and those rooting for Kithure Kindiki.
Ruto had settled on the Mathira lawmaker, but over 40 MPs from Mt Kenya and Musalia Mudavadi were opposed to his candidature.
The lawmakers then conducted a secret ballot, and out of them, only four supported Rigathi's appointment.
On Saturday, May 14, the Kenya Kwanza Alliance principals and allied members gathered at Ruto's Karen residence for deliberations before the announcement, but the meeting, which began in the morning stretched late into the evening as an impasse built up.
Later in the day, both Rigathi and Kindiki left Ruto's residence to allow the 40 MPs from the vote-rich region to reach a resolution, that would ultimately front a Ruto-Rigathi ticket.
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Analysts, as interviewed by the Swahili publication, argue that the Ruto-Rigathi presidential ticket would not be a viable one come August 9.
According to the pundits, the Mathira MP tends to water down the base built by Ruto a few years back.
They argue that Kindiki was the best fit owing to his towering legal career and given that he has not been implicated in graft cases juxtaposed with Rigathi.
The Mathira MP has cases pending in court, analysts arguing that it will give their opponents the fodder to hit on them.
The publication delved into yet again another running mate headache in the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition.
With all indications pointing at Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua as the coalition's most preferred running mate, Wiper Party's Kalonzo Musyoka seeks to withdraw from the President Uhuru Kenyatta-backed coalition.
On Sunday, the former vice president through his party said that he would move to court to withdraw from Azimio One Kenya after noticing there were no prospects of him being nominated as the formation's running mate.
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Makueni MP Dan Maanzo said that the party’s NEC gave them the green light to move to High Court on Monday, May 16, after talks with other Azimio principles failed.
Maanzo said that Kalonzo was in the presidential race and he would be picking his running mate after the court's determination on the matter.
The MP said that the only reason why Kalonzo withdrew his presidential ambitions was to be ODM leader Raila Odinga's running mate.
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Source: TUKO.co.ke
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