Taita Taveta Governor John Mruttu has blamed ODM for his loss during the party primaries. [Photo/ nation.co.ke]
Since losing in the ODM nominations, Taita Taveta Governor John Mruttu has maintained an uncharacteristic low political profile.
Mruttu who lost to Wundanyi MP Thomas Mwadeghu will now be defending his seat as an independent candidate amid strong competition from six other candidates.Speaking in his Taveta backyard on Saturday, Mruttu blamed the Raila Odinga-led party for having a hand in his loss.Mruttu said despite challenging the nomination results and filing a complaint with the party’s election board, his concerns were ignored by the Judy Pareno-led board.He accused the party of conspiring to give his rival the certificate, adding that Mwadeghu was given preferential treatment at his expense.However, despite the setback in bagging the ODM certificate, Mruttu who was once Raila Odinga's point man in the county exuded confidence that he will trounce his rivals to retain his seat.Mruttu's fiercest rivals are ODM's Mwadeghu, Granton Samboja of Wiper, Senator Dan Mwazo of Jubilee and Jacinta Mwatela who will be hoping to capture the seat in her second attempt having come short in 2013.