By MN Reporter

Kuria East MP Marwa Kitayama has said the minority Kuria community is banking on William Ruto presidency to ensure they get their own county in a referendum after failure of Building Bridges initiative.

Kitayama told Migori News that the community voted for Ruto and left Azimio la Umoja presidential flag bearer Raila Odinga in August 9 polls over the issue of a new county.

“We backed Ruto because in the Building Bridges Initiative Raila and his brother Uhuru Kenyatta refused to factor in creation of new counties which could include Kuria, we are banking on Ruto to make it right,” Kitayama said.

“Our desire as the Kuria community is to have our own county, it is not that we hate being in Migori but is because our land area and population size is enough for us to have our own county,” Kitayama said.

“We will pursue the call for a Kuria county under Ruto and we have other aspirations as a community like coffee farming, employment and development, but county is prime,” he said.

On Monday the Supreme Court upheld Ruto’s election as the fifth president on August 9 general elections, a decision which was received with celebrations in the community that makes 30 per cent of county population.

Ruto won 65.13 per cent of votes from Kuria East and Kuria West constituencies, retained the two area legislators and allies on UDA ticket Marwa Kitayama and Mathias Robi respectively.

Azimio la Umoja presidential candidate Raila Odinga got 34.17 per cent of votes.

In results released by Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, Ruto won in Kuria West constituency by getting 29,212 of votes followed by Odinga who had 12,106 votes. George Wajackoyahh had 182 while David Mwaure trailed with 109 votes.

In results released by Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, Ruto won in Kuria West constituency by getting 29,212 of votes followed by Odinga who had 12,106 votes. George Wajackoyahh had 182 while David Mwaure trailed with 109 votes.

In Kuria East, Ruto won with 16,795 votes, Raila was second with 12,031, while George Wajackoyah had 144 votes followed by David Mwaure with 62.

Total across the two constituencies Ruto led by 46,007 votes compared with Raila’s 24,137.