A Juja parliamentary aspirant now wants the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to postpone the May 18th by-elections until the Covid-19 pandemic subsides.
John Njoroge Mburu who is vying for the position that fell vacant following the sudden demise of late MP Francis Munyua Waititu on a People’s Party of Kenya (PPK) said the electoral body that had denied them an opportunity to do physical campaigns.
He said that failure to conduct physical campaigns will deny Juja electorates the opportunity to vote for the right leader as social media where they have been asked to seek alternatives, is inaccessible by most of the residents.
Njoroge who addressed journalists at a hotel in Juja town today said most residents can hardly afford airtime to access online campaigns as they have been impoverished by the Covid-19 shock waves.
The candid aspirant further noted that without physical campaigns, it will be hard for electorates to maintain social distances during the by-election day and therefore postponing the election until Kenya is declared free from the virus is the surest way of ensuring that Juja people elect the right person.
Failure by IEBC to defer the by-election, he said, will result in him moving to court to seek an order that will compel the electoral body to shelve the ongoing plans.
Njoroge who is contesting for the seat alongside ten others said the money given to IEBC to facilitate the election should be diverted to construction of dilapidated roads in the constituency such as Juja farm which he said has agonized locals for decades.
The aspirant’s sentiments were echoed by Kimani Kagiri, a Juja voter who asserted that while the constituency has been lagging behind in terms of development, electing an MP to serve them for a year will not be of major help.
Kagiri said that should the government fail to reconsider a ban on physical political gatherings, there will be no need of holding a physical election as voters will not only be well informed about the nature of the MP they will be voting for but also the exercise will expose them to the deadly virus.
A week ago, detectives in the vast sub-county warned aspirants eyeing the parliamentary seat against conducting physical campaign meetings in their homes, hotels, churches or schools.
Juja Sub County police commander Dorothy Migarusha also warned that any aspirant found using motor vehicle caravans in their campaigns will be arrested and charged with contravening Covid-19 containment measures as stipulated by the government.
The area police boss instead urged the aspirants to use mainstream and social media sites to rally support from Juja residents.
She maintained that no physical campaign meeting will be allowed going forward as the government scrambles to get to grips with the latest Covid-19 pandemic.
Her views were shared by area returning officer Justus Mbithi who told police to enforce the presidential directives so as to contain the virus that has continued to cripple economies across the globe.
The parliamentary seat has attracted contenders vying on various parties while others will be battling it out as independent candidates.
Among the contestants are Eunice Wanjiru, a relative to former Ruiru Mayor William Mugo, Kenn Gachuma, a businessman who worked under the late MP as the CDF Chairman between 2013 and 2015, businessman Zack Wang’ombe and the ruling Jubilee Party flagbearer Susan Njeri.
Others are Peoples Empowerment Party’s George Koimburi, Maendeleo Chap Chap’s Anthony Kirori, James Kariuki, Zulu Thiong’o, Joseph Gichui and Moses Mwenda.
The aspirants have been engaging locals on social media and on low-key physical meetings, a new campaign practice that most of them say has been ineffective as they are used to major gatherings.