Governor Mwangi wa Iria is the most popular candidate in the Muranga gubernatorial race at 58 per cent/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 19 – Incumbent Mwangi wa Iria is the most popular gubernatorial candidate in Murang’a County.
Wa Iria, according to the survey conducted by Infotrak Research and Consulting between April 14 and 15, leads the race for governor with 58 per cent followed by Kigumo legislator Jamleck Kamau who has 20.5 per cent support.
Moses Mwangi and veteran politician Kenneth Matiba’s son Raymond Matiba are third and fourth respectively with 1.6 and 0.3 per cent according to 800 respondents who took part in the poll saying they would vote for them.
Some 19.6 per cent of Murang’a residents comprising the sample are said to be undecided.
“Murang’a has equally been a hotbed of politics especially with the gubernatorial contest. Everyone seems to be talking about the cows the incumbent has been distributing but at the same time he has had to defend himself at the Senate over integrity questions,” the firm’s Senior Research Executive Mary Mburu said Wednesday.
Incumbent Senator Kembi Gitura is the most preferred candidate with 35.4 per cent followed by Kiharu MP Irungu Kang’ata who polled 23.1 per cent.
With 39.9 per cent of respondents saying they were undecided on their choice of candidate, Joseph Mbai and Peter Njagi scored a popularity index of 0.8 per cent each.
National Assembly Education Departmental Committee Chairperson Sabina Chege is likely to retain her Woman Representative seat with the survey placing her dominance in the race at 60.6 per cent.
Her closest competitor former journalist Waithira Muithirania scored 12.6 per cent followed by Catherine Munyiri and Irene Njeri both of whom have a support of 0.7 and 0.4 per cent of county residents, according to the opinion poll.
The MP with the highest likelihood of getting re-elected in Murang’a is Mathioya’s Clement Wambugu, 45.9 per cent of respondents saying they would vote for him against 37.8 per cent who polled no. Some 16.2 per cent were undecided on Wambugu’s fate.
Kandara’s Alice Wahome is the second most likely to be re-elected with a 41.2 per cent of respondents in support of her against 38.2 per cent. 20.6 per cent of voters are said to be undecided.
Humphrey Njuguna closed the chapter of Murang’a legislators likely to retain their seats managing 36.3 per cent against 34.1 per cent. A significant 29.6 per cent of respondents said they were undecided.
The remaining four lawmakers – Irungu Kangata (Kiharu), Tiras Ngahu (Kangemi), Peter Kamanda (Maragwa) and Jamleck Kamau (Kigumo) – have the least likelihood of getting re-elected, only 27, 25, 14.7 and 13.2 per cent of respondents respectively thought they could vote for them against 47.4, 48.5, 60.5 and 61.3 per cent.
“Among all the seven Members of Parliament you will note that none has a likelihood of up to 50 per cent of getting re-elected,” Mburu pointed out.
The Jubilee Party remains the political outfit of choice among county residents with a commanding 91.4 per cent support.
Orange Democratic Movement and Maendeleo Chap Chap parties follow with 1.8 and 0.7 per cent.
The National Super Alliance (NASA) is the second most preferred coalition with 2.1 per cent after Jubilee (89.1 per cent).
The survey, representative of Murang’a’s projected population of 544,525 has a 95 percent degree of confidence.
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