National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah has announced plans to take legal action against former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua over remarks made on the forthcoming Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election.
In a statement, Ichung’wah dismissed Gachagua’s claims as false and maintained that they were intended to undermine public confidence in the electoral process ahead of the July 16 poll.
“I will take legal action against Mr. Gachagua. He will have the opportunity to substantiate every allegation before a court of law. Empty political rhetoric may excite a rally, but it does not withstand judicial scrutiny”, the Kikuyu MP said.
The Majority Leader said Gachagua’s remarks were made after realising that his preferred candidate was facing defeat in the by-election.
“I take great exception to the reckless, false and malicious allegations levelled against me today by Mr. Gachagua regarding the forthcoming Ol Kalou by-election,” Ichung’wah added.
It is now abundantly clear that Mr. Gachagua is a man gripped by panic. After weeks of chest-thumping and empty bravado, he has come face to face with the reality that his preferred candidate is headed for defeat”, he further said.
Ichung’wah further denied claims linking him to meetings with Deputy County Commissioners or attempts to influence the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
According to him, the accusations had no factual basis.
“The claims that I held meetings with Deputy County Commissioners or bribed IEBC officials exist only in the imagination of a man who has built his politics on conspiracy theories, propaganda, hate and ethnic division,” he said.
The Majority Leader also accused Gachagua’s political camp of distributing inflammatory campaign material in Ol Kalou.
