Jubilee party candidate in the Kiambaa by-election Karanja Kariri Njama has broken his silence over claims that he has pulled out of the mini poll.

Speaking shortly after speculations that he had pulled out of the hotly contested race, Kariri Njama dismissed the claims, arguing that the rumours are being spread by his opponents who have already sensed defeat.

Reports had emerged that a section of Kiambaa constituency voters had started receiving text messages alleging that Kariri Njama had pulled out of the race.

Blogger Robert Alai took to his official Twitter account to accuse the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party of accessing the Kiambaa voters’ database and sent messages to them saying that the Jubilee candidate had withdrawn. Dailytrends.co.ke cannot, however, substantiate the blogger’s allegation, since that is his own opinion.

The highly anticipated Kiambaa by-election is set for Thursday, July 15, and stakes in the mini poll are high.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission cleared eight candidates to compete in the race. Kariri Njama will fly the ruling Jubilee Party’s flag in the Kiambaa by-election.

He was awarded the party’s ticket to run for the parliamentary seat after emerging as the best candidate following rigorous interviews conducted by the outfit’s officials.

UDA party associated with Deputy President William Ruto unveiled John Njuguna Wanjiku as its flagbearer in the contest.

The Kiambaa MP seat fell vacant following the death of Paul Koinange on Wednesday, March 31. Koinange was elected Kiambaa MP on a Jubilee Party ticket in the 2017 General Election.