Controversial Gatundu South Member of Parliament Moses Kuria has disputed claims that the ‘Tyranny of Numbers’ phrase was a brainchild of Mutahi Ngunyi.
Speaking in an interview with a local TV, Kuria stated that Ngunyi just played a peripheral role in communicating the intrigues behind the Tyranny of numbers.
“Some people are going out there jumping about Tyranny of numbers. That was my creation. Mutahi Ngunyi was the mouthpiece and the deliverer. We were the real chefs and architects of the Tyranny of numbers,” said Kuria.
Kuria adds that Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja also played a critical role in the crafting of the phrase, which was synonymous with Jubilee’s 2013 and 2017 presidential election wins.
However, the Nairobi senator has expressed disdain for Kuria’s sentiments. “I was just chilling…” Sakaja responded to the claims on his Twitter account.
Tyranny of Numbers hit headlines on the eve of the 2013 hotly contested polls between Raila Odinga-led CORD and Uhuru Kenyatta’s led Jubilee coalition, addressing the numerical strength of Central Kenya and Rift Valley votes against that of ethnic groups supporting Raila Odinga.
The numerology, which Kuria claims a hand in and brought to the limelight by Prof Mutahi Ngunyi, provided that the Kenyan voting formula was influenced by ethnicity. It stated that Jubilee went into the 2013 election with an ethnic advantage standing at more than 6 million votes while their opponents were at around 2.7 million votes.
President Uhuru Kenyatta’s MP also revealed the role he has had in the past four presidential polls of predicting numbers and offering recommendations to presidential aspirants, including Mwai Kibaki’s 2007 disputed win.
“I have been the chief data analyst in the past four presidential elections. I analyzed the data for Kibaki in 2007 and also Uhuru Kenyatta’s in 2013 and 2017 elections,” Stated the confident Kuria.
Kuria has hit headlines recently with predictions on who is likely to win the 2020 presidential race, hinting that ODM Chief Raila Odinga would floor Deputy President William Ruto in the Runoff.
He exuded confidence that the first round of voting would see none of the four front runners garner the mandatory 50+1 vote needed for one to be declared as the winner.
Kuria divulged the details of his mobile technology of gathering data about elections which he says should not be taken for granted, which involves sending text messages to people and getting their replies.
He says that his analysis helped his Chama Cha Kazi Party win Murang’a and Juja by-elections as well as aiding UDA triumph in Kiambaa.
