Ngirici ahead of Waiguru in Kirinyaga gubernatorial race
Kirinyaga Governor Ann Waiguru is trailing her bitter rival Woman Rep Purity Ngirici in the gubernatorial race less than three months to the General Election, according to an opinion poll conducted by Mizani Africa.
The poll results indicate that if the election were to be held today, Ngirici win by 43 per cent of the votes, while Waiguru garner 38 per cent. Charles Kibiru and former Governor Joseph Ndathi are third and fourth respectively.
Early last month, Waiguru had a popularity rating of 53.8 per cent, with Narc Kenya party leader Martha Karua a distant second with 17.3 per cent, followed by Ngirici at 15.4 per cent.
Ms Karua is no longer a factor after being named Raila Odinga’s running mate in Azimio la Umoja coalition.
Governor Waiguru is seeking a second term on a UDA ticket under Deputy President William Ruto’s leadership.
Until recently Waiguru’s name had been floated among Ruto’s possible running mate. That changed earlier in the week when Ruto named Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua for that position.
Ms Ngirici, who in UDA but defected to run as an independent, is considered Waiguru’s biggest challenger.
The two leaders have a long-running political rivalry that saw Ngirici quit UDA following Waiguru’s entry. Ngirici would later complain that she was treated badly in UDA despite her commitment to the DP’s presidential bid.
Waiguru on the other hand has been openly saying that Ngirici left UDA because she was scared of competition.