“In 2017 I still feel I can contribute in a positive manner because this country is for all of us and I will be supporting President Uhuru when he seeks re-election as president,” declared Kenneth/CFM NEWS
NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 23 – Former Gatanga MP and presidential aspirant in the 2013 General Election Peter Kenneth has thrown his weight behind President Uhuru Kenyatta’s re-election bid in next year’s polls.
Speaking during Sunday Mass at St. Teresa Girls Secondary School in Eastleigh, Kenneth who accompanied by local leaders including the host MCA Osman Adow Ibrahim and Mlango Kubwa MCA Andrew Macharia said his decision has been informed by the reality in the country’s political landscape where two major political outfits have dominated the political scene.
“Despite the fact that I still stand by the things that I stood for in 2013, I think it will not be the right time to run again for presidency in 2017,” said Kenneth.
Dismissing sentiments that he was positioning himself for the 2022 presidential race, Kenneth said that he believed the country needs to be united and hence the need to bring people together.
“In 2017 I still feel I can contribute in a positive manner because this country is for all of us and I will be supporting President Uhuru when he seeks re-election as president,” declared Kenneth.
The Kenya National Congress leader disclosed that he had been approached by residents of three counties to offer his gubernatorial candidacy in the upcoming election. Among the counties that he is likely to contest in include Nairobi, Nakuru and Murang’a.
“It’s upon Nairobians and people living in other counties to look for leadership that will come and alleviate problems that are bedevilling them,” he observed.
The announcement by Kenneth comes as the Nairobi gubernatorial race within the ruling Jubilee Party gathers momentum with candidates positioning themselves to clinch the party’s ticket.
Among those who have declared interest for the governorship in Nairobi include incumbent Senator Mike Mbuvi Kioko (Sonko), former Starehe legislator Bishop Margret Wanjiru, Water and Irrigation CS Eugene Wamalwa and Dagoretti South MP Dennis Waweru.
In Murang’a County, Kenneth will have to contend with the incumbent Governor Mwangi Wa Iria and Kigumo MP Jamleck Kamau who has also announced plans to unseat Wa Iria. In Nakuru County, Kenneth will have to unseat Governor Kinuthia Mbugua who is expected to defend his seat in 2017.
Although the former Gatanga MP declined to comment on the position of his party and whether it is likely to dissolve, he made it clear that his decision to back President Kenyatta was a well thought out move.
“I have given my personal voice as Peter Kenneth – that is it,” he responded.
Speaking during the mass, Mlango Kubwa MCA Andrew Macharia said that Nairobi County was ailing saying there was need for good leadership in the county. “We know of a person who has a track record that is impeccable and so I am one of the persons who is pleading with PK to come to Nairobi. We want to go through a successful surgery,” said Macharia.
The former presidential aspirant was also accompanied by Ngara MCA Mwaura Chege and his California counterpart Athman Kamau.
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