A Naivasha human rights defender has submitted a petition before the county assembly of Nakuru challenging the nomination of former Naivasha MP John Kihagi as CEC for lands, housing and physical planning in Nakuru.
In a sworn affidavit, Macharia Mwangi claims Kihagi is unfit to hold any public office because he does not meet the requirements of chapter six of the constitution.
“We have several cases where the former lawmaker has been engaged in hence we feel he is not fir to hold such an office. We urge the county assembly to scrutinize the same” said Macharia.
Supported by two sworn affidavits of Teresia Wanjiru who is a trustee of north karate pyrethrum growers and contractor Paul Waweru of PANMA construction, Macharia wants the county assembly of Nakuru to reject the Nomination of Kihagi.
Kihagi served as Naivasha MP between 2013 and 2017.
In her affidavit sworn before GM Njuguna Advocate, Wanjiru states that 2010, Kihagi colluded with a trustee of North Karate pyrethrum growers Njehia Mukui purporting to buy the association’s land Naivasha-Maraigushu block 469/20117 at a cost of Ksh 500,000 as opposed to Ksh 2.5 million that the association had quoted.
She further claims that Kihagi in his capacity as the patron of Naivasha NGCDF went ahead to initiate construction of two classrooms at Governor primary school in Maai Mahiu area in total ignorance of a case filed at the Nakuru land and environment court ( ELC 265/2017).
North karate pyrethrum growers won the case in 2017 after the court upheld that the land legitimately belonged to them.
In the second affidavit, contractor Paul Waweru states that in February 2010 he was invited to start the construction of two classrooms at Governor primary school in Maai Mahiu after winning a tender appearing on the Naivasha constituency NG-CDF portal.
He was paid a deposit of Ksh 1 million awaiting payment of a balance of Kshs 800,000.
Waweru claims that efforts to pursue payment of the remaining amount yielded no fruits and as a result, a loan he had taken at k rep bank accrued to Ksh 1.8 million.
The Director of PANMA construction states that to date, he has suffered threat to life from his former workers and that he has been listed in the central reference bureau CRB while the Kenya Revenue Authority KRA has persistently pursued him over unpaid tax.
“I have no peace having in mind that I had taken a loan from a bank..I am suffering because of Kihagi and that is why we cannot allow a repeat through Kihagi being a CEC” he said.
The petition was received at the Nakuru county assembly clerk’s office today.