NAIROBI, Kenya, May 27 – Independent presidential aspirant Ptah Gichira has withdrawn from the race to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta after allegedly losing signatures gathered following an abduction.
Police stated that Gichira reported to them that on Monday this week that at around 8 o’clock while at home, he requested an uber and went along Outering Road next to Shell petrol station where he was accosted by three men who knew his name before allegedly kidnapping him.
“While there one Motor vehicle which he didn’t take its number plate and had three occupants all men stopped near him and called him by name as he was about to respond the rear door opened and was pushed inside, he was told to unlock his phone with his password,” A police report seen by Capital FM news read.
In his withdrawal letter, Gichira said he was abducted as he made his way to Bomas of Kenya for the pre-nomination meeting between the IEBC and Presidential Aspirants.
“In the process, I lost the following: – all my signed forms for supporting my candidature; Copies of National Identity Cards that I had collected in support of the signatures; an external hard disk and laptop both with electronic data of the signed forms and my phone and ID card,” Gichira said.
“Having considered the time, effort, and financial resources involved in a fresh exercise of collecting signatures; the timelines that the IEBC has for these requisite documents; and above all the trauma I have been subjected to, I find my candidature no longer tenable,” he added.
According to police, the alleged abductors took his bag which had a laptop worth Sh 27,000, a phone techno spark7 worth Sh 10,500, an external disk, and personal documents.
Gichira further alleged that his abductors sprayed him with an unknown substance before he fell asleep and woke up a day later around 6 o’clock in Lunga Lunga stage at KPLC.
“A good Samaritan took him to Lunga lunga hospital for first aid and he gave the person his wife’s number. since he only knew of Industrial Area Police station, he reported there and was referred to Lunga lunga where he made his report and proceeded home,” the police report said.
Gichira further said urged police to conduct conclusive investigations on his kidnapping and urged them to upgrade security of aspirants vying for different seats.
“I have sought to provide this detailed account of my abduction to you so that you may consider working in close collaboration with the National Police Service, in beefing up the security of candidates and that of the entire General Elections,” Gichira said in his withdrawal letter.
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