Purity Ngirici: Why I ditched UDA

Kirinyaga Woman Rep Purity Ngirici has announced she will contest as an independent candidate in the county’s gubernatorial race after ditching Deputy President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Party.

Addressing her supporters in Mwea Sub-County today, Ngirici said she ditched UDA after being summoned at the headquarters and told to shelve her ambition for Governor Anne Waiguru.

She told her supporters not to bother about the political party she will use in 2022, adding that her party will be Purity Wangui Ngirici.

“If you go to cast your ballot, don’t worry about the party, look for my name and photo, that will be my party,” she said.

Ngirici claimed she was told to ditch the Kirinyaga governor seat and instead run as an MP to allow her main challenger, Governor Anne Waiguru, to finish her term.

“I was summoned in Nairobi and told to go run as MP in Mwea Constituency and leave the seat for her, but I have said no,” she told her supporters.

She claimed the party ticket for Kirinyaga gubernatorial race had been sold to the highest bidder and it was a waste of time running against those who have already paid for the ticket.

Without naming anyone, Ngirici claimed an opponent took close to Sh200 million to UDA headquarters, making it difficult for another candidate.

“If you hear a figure like Sh200 million being carted to the headquarters and the party owners are telling you to step down, you know the ticket is gone,” she added.

She urged Kirinyaga people to teach those who are hawking political party tickets a lesson at the ballot.

“You must show them that you are not fools to vote parties, but will elect an individual who is a performer,” she said.

Ngirici is on the record alleging betrayal after she helped establish UDA Party, only to be shoved out by Governor Anne Waiguru, a latecomer to the Ruto-led outfit.

In subsequent interviews, after joining UDA on October 26, Waiguru said no one should feel disenfranchised, and that if indeed one feels he or she is well-suited to fly the UDA ticket in the upcoming general election, then they should square it out in the party primaries.

Ngirici is said to have felt unease in UDA when Waiguru officially joined the party and was received by Ruto in Nairobi.

Ruto’s take

DP Ruto on Tuesday waded into the fierce debate on whether UDA was right to “prefer” Waiguru over Ngirici, especially in the race for Kirinyaga Governor.

“The only way to reward friends is not to give them a ticket,” Ruto said in an interview on Citizen Television on Tuesday, December 28.

Though he did not directly mention Ngirici, the DP said UDA would prioritise candidates who are well-positioned to win an elective seat and not ones who “will fail at the ballot”.

“You can give your friend a ticket, and he’ll fail at the ballot if he is not the popular candidate at that moment. That would mean the party ticket is meaningless,” said the deputy president.

Ruto suggested that should Ngirici stick around and support Waiguru, then he will reward her should he win the presidential election in 2022.

“There are friends we won’t leave behind, but one of the rewards they’ll be given is not a party ticket. We need the party ticket to win the election, we need the party ticket to go to the right person for us to win that seat, and win the election. All of us understand we must win the election,” he said.