The contest for the Murang’a governor’s seat has taken shape, with three candidates having already declared their interest.
Incumbent governor Mwangi Wa Iria is being challenged by Kigumo MP Jamleck Kamau and Moses Mwangi.
All the three are eyeing the Jubilee Party ticket, and whoever wins next month’s nomination stands the best chance of emerging victorious in the August 8 election because the county is a Jubilee stronghold.
The campaigns are expected to take the rivalry between Wa Iria and Kamau to a new level. The two have been involved in bitter exchanges, sometimes in public, since the Kigumo MP declared interest in the governor’s seat.
Murang’a has seven National Assembly constituencies and is divided into northern and southern regions, which are normally used to gauge politicians’ clout.
The northern part comprises Kiharu, Kangema and Mathioya constituencies while the south consists of Maragua, Kigumo, Kandara and Gatanga.
Wa Iria hails from Kiharu and is believed to enjoy considerable support in the north.
On the other hand, Kamau and Mwangi are from Kigumo and Maragua respectively. This has the potential of splitting the southern votes between them.
The aspirants’ chances may also depend on the number of MPs on their side. Wa Iria enjoys the backing of Kiharu MP Irungu Kangata, Tiras Ngahu of Kangema and Clement Wambugu of Mathioya, while Kamau is supported by Maragua MP Kamande Mwangi and Kandara’s Alice Wahome.
Gatanga MP Humphrey Njuguna’s stand on the governor’s race is not clear yet.
Aspirants will be expected to pick a running mate from the other side of the regional divide to boost their chances and lend a sense of balance to their candidature.
Sources say Kamau is considering running with a yet-to-be-disclosed person from Kangema while Wa Iria has his eyes on Kandara after his deputy Gakure Monyo shifted support to Kamau. It is not clear where Mwangi will pick his running-mate from.
Development record
The incumbent largely banks his hopes on Kiharu constituency, which is the largest in the county with an estimated 100,000 votes.
Wa Iria rides on his development record, which include dairy projects, disbursement of free exams to primary schools, free Early Childhood Development Education, revival of the coffee sector, subsidised manure, the Kenneth Matiba Hospital, and Ufundi kwa vijana.
Kamau boasts improving academic performance in his constituency and lobbying for the tarmacking of roads in Kigumo.
Wa Iria’s tenure has been a turbulent one. In October 2015, members of the county assembly voted to impeach him but he survived when the motion was rejected by the Senate.
He has also been accused of misappropriation of resources, which saw the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission detectives raid his home and office and later arrested for questioning. He has also been summoned by the Senate Public Accounts Committee.
Kamau has been using the graft claims to question Wa Iria’s integrity.
The governor, however, insists there is no evidence linking him to corruption.
“I am clean and my development record speaks for itself. Those saying I am corrupt should stop spreading mere propaganda,” says Wa Iria.
During the launch of his manifesto last December, Kamau promised to have an accountable and transparent government.
He also promised to boost health, infrastructure, education and agriculture sectors if he is elected.
Managerial skills
While the Governor and Kamau have been engaging in supremacy battles, Mwangi has been trying to sell himself as the alternative candidate.
An ordained priest, Mwangi once worked for the Karen Hospital and the Equatorial Fortified Food Factory in Maragua as CEO.
He says he has acquired enough managerial skills to run the county.
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