Susan Njeri Waititu, the Jubilee party candidate in the just concluded Juja by-election, has shelved plans to contest George Koimburi Ndung’u’s win.
Koimburi of the People’s Empowerment Party (PEP) was declared the winner of the Tuesday by-election by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) on Wednesday after a night of chaos.
Koimburi garnered a total of 12,159 votes from the constituency’s 184 polling stations.
Njeri, who was the MP elect’s closest rival, Susan Waititu, came in a distant second with 5,746 votes.
The widow of the late Juja MP Francis Waititu “Wakapee” had vowed to contest the results alleging massive electoral malpractice.
Njeri, who was flanked by Kiambu Governor James Nyoro and other Jubilee officials, accused Koimburi of bribing voters and colluding with electoral officers to rig her out.
Read: Vote Tallying Resumes at Mang’u High School After Night of Chaos
“I’m calling for a vote re-count because this is really sad, especially for a woman being unfairly treated. Some votes were left in Jomo Kenyatta and some in Gachororo. If anything, we are calling for another by-election,” Njeri said on Wednesday.
However, addressing members of the press on Thursday, Njeri conceded defeat further congratulating Koimburi for his landslide victory.
“I accept the results of the elections by the IEBC, which declared George Koimburi the winner; I also want to thank all of you who worked me through this journey,” she said.
She added,” for the sake of peace, we shall let the matter rest. We shall not lodge any case.”
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Jubilee party supporters led by governor Nyoro had on Tuesday night stormed a tallying centre set up at Mang’u High School forcing IEBC to suspend the exercise at about 10:20pm.
Tallying resumed on Wednesday morning after IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati visited the centre.
The IEBC boss met with the County Election Manager, the Returning Officer, and the county security team, and revealed that four polling stations had witnessed attempted malpractice during the Juja by-election.
However, according to Chebukati, by the time the chaos broke out, the staff had finished tallying the votes and had completed the required Form 35A, which had also been properly signed.
Read Also: Ruto-linked UDA Avoids “Direct” Contest With Uhuru’s Jubilee in Juja By-election
Chebukati said a probe is under way and anyone found guilty will be prosecuted.
“The commission takes the exercise of voting very seriously; after the investigations are completed, we will write to the DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions) to seek the prosecution of those found culpable,” said Chebukati.
“We are waiting for the security team to complete their investigations before issuing further instructions.”
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