Kuria Dismisses Vote-Splitting Claims in Mbeere North By-Election as “Politically Motivated”

Former Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria has rejected allegations that his Chama Cha Kazi (CCK) party was deployed to split votes in the closely contested Mbeere North parliamentary by-election, terming the accusations as politically motivated attempts to deflect from poor campaign performance.

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In a statement released on Friday, Kuria defended his party’s participation in the race, emphasizing that CCK and its candidate Duncan Mbui operated independently without any pre-election agreements with other political formations.

“I am amused by those saying the CCK party, and I were on a mission to divide votes in Mbeere North,” Kuria stated, pointing out that Mbui secured only 2,480 votes—a figure he argued was too small to have significantly influenced the outcome.

The former Presidential Advisor questioned why critics were singling out his party when five other candidates also contested the seat, yet were not facing similar accusations of vote-splitting.

Kuria further noted that his party had fielded Mbui after he was dropped by another political outfit, challenging those faulting CCK to explain why they failed to unite their own candidates before the election.

The controversy emerged following the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission’s (IEBC) declaration on Friday, November 28, which saw United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate Wa Muthende narrowly defeat Democratic Party’s Newton Kariuki, known as Karish. Muthende secured 15,802 votes against Kariuki’s 15,308—a margin of just 494 votes.

Kuria highlighted that major political figures, including Democracy for Citizens Party Leader Rigathi Gachagua, campaigned for his rivals, while he was the only outsider supporting Mbui. He questioned how opposition forces expected to control numbers in the Mt Kenya region when UDA managed to secure over 15,000 votes.

“CCK was formed on August 17, 2021. We have been around long before other parties. To the best of my knowledge, the business of parties is sponsoring candidates. Should we branch off and start selling other things?” Kuria remarked.

The by-election was triggered by the appointment of Geoffrey Ruku as Public Service Cabinet Secretary, replacing Justin Muturi, who was dismissed in March this year.

Political observers have noted increasing scrutiny of Kuria’s political moves following his resignation from a top government post, particularly his apparent reluctance to join any political alliance at a time when other leaders are forming coalitions ahead of the 2027 general elections.

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