Political opponents seeking to dim prospects for the former State House Chief of Staff Nzioka Waita in his Machakos governorship race seemed to have pricked a delicate raw nerve of the corporate-cum-former state official insinuating that he has bowed out of the race.
Waita denied the assertions of his alleged ‘stepping down’ terming them as cheap propaganda by his opponents afraid of his Machakos gubernatorial bid.
There were claims that went viral on social media indicating that he had bowed out of the race to support Wavinya Ndeti of Wiper party.
The Informer has established that the re-entry of Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka into Azimio One Kenya Coalition is likely to complicate the Machakos gubernatorial contest as the Ukambani kingpin is said to have held his ground that Wiper Party must clinch the Machakos governor’s seat.
The Informer has learnt that Musyoka has been in talks with Waita to have him out of the race to have Ndeti’s chances of winning high.
However, Waita’s well-oiled campaigns are said to have hit headwinds in the recent weeks.
“My competitors think that they will win this election through cheap propaganda. It’s so obvious where the fake “stepping down the letter” originated, the many spelling errors are consistent with their dubious academic background. We are in this race to win it,” Waita said in a tweet.
However, Chama Cha Uzalendo (CCU) secretary-general Philippe Sajdah denied having such talks to have Waita and MCA candidates step down.
“What is being discussed at the moment is the possibility of having some Senate and MP candidates stepping down and supporting one candidate,” he said.
Waita has emerged as one of the front runners in the race to succeed Governor Alfred Mutua alongside other aspirants including; Johnson Muthama and Machakos Deputy Governor Francis Maliti.
Waita is vying under his party- Chama Cha Uzalendo (CCU) while Wavinya is the Wiper party candidate after she bagged a direct nomination ticket.
On the other hand, Muthama is under Deputy President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party while Maliti is in the Maendeleo Chap Chap party.