Deputy president-elect, Rigathi Gachagua on Wednesday, August 17, claimed that President Uhuru Kenyatta was hoodwinked by his close allies to think that Azimio was on its way to clinch the presidency in the August 9 polls.
Speaking to Kass FM, Gachagua claimed that Uhuru's allies intimidated chiefs at the local levels to manipulate numbers used to show that the ground was in support of the Azimio coalition.
According to the DP-elect, the falsified information in turn led to Azimio's downfall- with Kenyans casting their votes in protest of the current regime.
"When chiefs saw that if you say the truth, action will be taken against you, they began doctoring reports. Uhuru Kenyatta was receiving wrong reports from chiefs and assistant chiefs allies who feared that they would be fired by the current regime. The president has been lied to in the past two years. This is because his allies couldn't tell him the truth," he stated.
Gachagua alleged that the Azimio coalition is looking for ways to find out how their leader, Raila Odinga, did not garner the requisite numbers in the Mt Kenya region. He also referenced the allegations by the four commissioners who disputed the results.
The former Mathira MP noted that proponents of the Azimio camp had reached out to him in a bid to return the handshake agreement between the two factions. He, however, rejected the proposition.
"I received a call from an Azimio politician who beseeched us to have a sit-down and converse in a bid to bring back the handshake scenario. That is not going to happen. Their work is to provide oversight of our government," he stated.
"If Raila wants to have tea with the president-elect, he is welcome to do so. He is a Kenyan, and we will ensure that his transport, medical and other needs are catered for," he noted.
He lauded the late President Mwai Kibaki for his two terms that, according to Gachagua, saw the country realize economic prosperity.
"I respect the late Kibaki for the path that he paved for us and the leadership that he provided for in this country. We plan that in the next 2 years for our administration to restore Kenya to where it was in the Kibaki era,"
Alluding to the possible return of Miguna Miguna, Gachagua affirmed that the exiled lawyer was wrongly punished for defying the current administration.
"Miguna should start packing his bags because he did not do any wrong. It's because he differed with a few leaders and hence was shown the door. Wherever he is, I'd tell him to be patient and as soon as the president-elect is sworn in, he should book a flight," Gachagua stated.
