FINANCE minister Njeru Githae has said he lost the battle for Kirinyaga governor because he spent most of his time addressing national issues at the expense of his campaigns.

Githae, a close allay of Jubilee Coalition presidential candidate Uhuru Kenyatta, lost in the TNA nominations to Joseph Ndathi. Ndathi, a former Foreign Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs got 39,103 votes against Githae's 29,532.

The minister yesterday said he spent most of his time in Parliament trying to convince MPs to pass the crucial bills related to the county governments.

"I have no regrets for sacrificing personal interests for the sake of the country," Githae said at the Treasury while presiding over the signing of a grant agreement with the Japanese government. He said although the nominations cannot be said to be free and fair, he has no intentions of contesting the results.

"The only mature thing is to accept the results," he said and called on other aspirants who have lost in other parts of the country to concede defeat.

"I have no intention of petitioning the board," he said adding that he will embark on campaigning for all TNA candidates in Kirinyaga and for Uhuru.

While not saying clearing what he aims to do after the March 4 elections, Githae said, "There are so many things that one can do...that experience can be channeled to the private sector."