By Simon Muli
A Facebook post claims that Njuguna Wanjiku, the Kiambaa member of parliament, is not a registered voter in the constituency.
Shared on the eve of the 15 July 2021 parliamentary by-election, the post adds that Wanjiku would not cast his vote even though video footage showed him doing so at Thimbigua Primary School.
Wanjiku, who contested on a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party ticket, was declared winner of the by-election by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) after garnering 21,773 votes. Ruling Jubilee Party’s Kariri Njama came second with 21,263 votes.
Wanjiku was sworn in at the National Assembly in Nairobi on 4 August 2021.
The Kiambaa parliamentary seat fell vacant following the death of the sitting MP, Paul Koinange, due to COVID-19 complications on 31 March 2021.
According to the IEBC, there is no requirement for a person to be registered as a voter in a particular constituency in order to vie for any elective position but rather the requirement is that you must be registered as a voter anywhere in Kenya.
In an email response to PesaCheck, the acting IEBC secretary/CEO, Marjan Hussein Marjan, dismissed the claim that Wanjiku is not a registered voter in Kiambaa constituency as false.
“The commission wishes to notify you that John Njuguna Wanjiku of UDA is a registered voter in Kiambaa constituency — Thimbigua Primary School polling centre, and voted in polling station number 2,” wrote Marjan.
Verdict
PesaCheck has looked into a Facebook post claiming that Kiambaa MP Njuguna Wanjiku is not a registered voter in the constituency and finds it to be FALSE.
This story was produced by Africa Uncensored in partnership with Code for Africa with support from Deutsche Welle Akademie.
Add comment