With Me in Azimio, Mt. Kenya’s Interests are MORE Secure: Martha Karua.

By Gitau wa Kung’u (profgitauwakung’u@gmail.com).

Yesterday Azimio la Umoja presidential flagbearer Hon Raila Amolo Odinga and his running mate Hon Martha Karua enjoyed a warm triumphant welcoming into Murang’a county. They had just come from an extensive meeting with the Mt. Kenya Foundation (MKF) at Thika.

“The whole of Kenya and I personally recognise Murang’a county as home great businessmen like Equity’s Mr. Munga, media mogul S.K Macharia and many more, whose genius ideas have been critical in the growth of Kenyan economy, I’m proud to be associated with you,” Raila.

Raila also condemned the measures taken against Keroche breweries by promising that Azimio government will pass tax policies that support private sector like Keroche and many others without indiscriminate actions on tax issues like closure because the private business sector contributes a lot in the Kenyan economy.

"Support for Baba na mama is support for quality, brave, principled, visionary leadership kabisa kabisa, just like it is with Jamu na Dr. Anne's gubernatorial ticket," Hon Jamleck Kamau, aspiring governor with Jubilee ticket.

The Azimio team presented their manifesto with pro; economic refurbishment, anti-corruption, poverty eradication, peace & harmonious coexistence.

Hon Karua urged Mt. Kenya region to support Hon Raila Odinga because he has proven to be steadfast warrior of democracy and economic emancipation.

“We as the youths of Murang’a County are fully behind Baba na Mama because we know they are the kind of parent-leaders who will serve this nation with diligence. We know we are secure with Azimio,” Ms. Monica Chege, Kigumo MCA Jubilee candidate stated.

Raila rained praises on Karua as a “lady of principle, heroine of servant leadership and an ethically incorruptible, brave and visionary woman; qualities that made me choose her as my running mate.”

“When you see me in Azimio as deputy president, know that Mt. Kenya interests are very secure. Nawaomba msikubali kamwe kupea uongozi watu wasio na maono ya kuendeleza Kenya kwa kuzingatia uongo wao mtamu. Baba na mama are the best bet for Kenya,” Karua.

"We shall vote Azimio because in Azimio hakuna matata, kukosewa heshima na kiburi against Mt. Kenya leaders who do not support ODM(chama cha baba) because they are still safe under Azimio coalition. Tuone mbele, Kenya iende mbele pamoja kwa azimio la umoja," Hon Sabina Chege.

Jubilee’s Murang’a gubernatorial candidate Hon Jamleck Kamau, Women Rep Waithira Muithirania, Kigumo MP OGW Ruth Mwaniki were on the frontline fortifying Azimio’s support in the county.

Outgoing Murang’a W. rep Sabina Chege, Equity’s founder and Chairperson James Munga and Dr. James Mwangi, media mogul S.K. Macharia, former gatanga MP Peter Kenneth, businessman Kamau Mweha, Kitui governor Charity Ngilu were among the leaders who led hyping for Azimio support in the campaigns.

BEWARE, KENYANS! CHOOSE SWEET BUT MEANINGLESS CAMPAIGN SLOGANS, VOTE BAD LEADERSHIP!

Written by Gitau wa Kung’u (profgitauwakungu@gmail.com).

Many are romantically poetic, as popular as their sweet mention but meaningless campaign slogans. Campaign slogans are distinctive of an aspirant’s or a political party’s catchphrases/mottos aimed at advertising them to win majority supporters and so votes.

What most people do not know is that slogans are primary reasons they should consider when deciding which politician or political party to support. The reason for that is that slogans can form a reflection of the kind of leadership to expect.

Any electorate must therefore choose who or which party to support and who or what party to forsake depending on the impression made by their respective campaign slogans.

A good slogan should have a background rich in philosophical or ideological expression that influences masses to believe in them. Good slogans are foundations of good leadership. 

President Xi Jinping's: “Chinese Dream” is a slogan that has been the propelling force behind China’s vociferous growth into superpower status. It dared the Chinese to dream, work hard to fulfill the dreams and contribute to the rejuvenation of the nation." 

Martin Luther King Jnr’s: “I Have A Dream,” and Malcom X’s: “Black Nationalism” became slogans that projected the dawn of Black American revolution against white racist governments and policies, years after their assassination. 

Founding Presidents Nelson Mandera (S.Africa) ANC party’s: “Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear Of The Nation) Julius Nyerere’s (Tanzania) “Ujamaa;” and Jomo Kenyatta’s (Kenya) KANU party’s: Harambee (spirit of unity of purpose) slogans are other prolific examples of leaders whose legacies can be related to their rich philosophical slogans. Their slogans united Africans to gain independence from the imperialist colonial governments.

Still, deceptive politicos can make good slogans to deceive masses so after slogans; electorates should consider the traits and tracks of their particular makers. The most beautiful, poetic slogans without any background reflection of the aspirants’ philosophy or ideology have been a prerequisite to poor, even corrupt and dictatorial leadership elected and erected. These slogans have a trait of praising the individuals aspiring or even implying to make their preachers superior to their competitors.

For instance, French president Emmanuel Macron’s: "Recovery, power, belonging" was an ideologically rich slogan yet his record was one blemished by arrogance and retrogression. 

Laurent Gbagbo saw Ivory Coast suffer a bloody civil war after being elected in 2000 yet in 2007 his slogan became “Time For A Change,” hoping to deceive the voters he should be re elected to bring peace even when he had promoted the civil war!

 Former US president Donald Trump’s slogan is “Make America Great Again” was a clever, memorable campaign slogan yet his record was the paradox of his slogan, an America characterised by chaos fuelled by racism, religious separatism, dictatorial tendencies, retrogressing economy etc. 

Unbelievably, former Sudan’s President Omar Al-Bashir final re-election bid’s campaign slogan was “Freedom, Development, Peace,” with a white dove as symbol; years after his regime had been characteristic of dictatorship, corruption and bloody massacres in civil wars for more than 20 years! 

For instance, Uganda’s dictatorial president Yoweri Museveni’s slogans: “So Much Done, So Much To Do” and “No Change!” are slogans that have thrived his re-elections for the past 25 years plus that have been plagued with dictatorship, nepotism, police brutality, assassinations of revolutionaries, abuse of human rights et cetera. 

Former Kenyan president Daniel Arap Moi’s slogan was “Harambee…Nyayo” (In the footsteps of founding President Jomo Kenyatta). During his 24 year rule, Moi ruled with an iron fist in a regime that oversaw prominent ethnic profiling, assassinations, abuse of human rights like torture, corruption, injustice etc. 

Kenya’s Jubilee party’s slogan was “Tuko Mbele Pamoja” (Unity will drive the nation far in prosperity) with a handshake symbol in 2013 and a white dove (2022) yet the first term was characteristic of similar rampant corruption; corrupt leaders amassing wealth while the poverty levels escalate towards the end of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s regime. 

Kiambu County’s impeached governor, Ferdinand Waititu’s slogan was: “Baba Yao” (Their Father). Waititu’s slogan thrived because Kiambu people had been frustrated by Gov. William Kabogo and the slogan “Baba Yao” implied Waititu as the loving father who would rule well. He ended up being impeached on corruption and abuse of office charges.

Well, it is time Kenyans became wary of not only being deceived into voting leaders with beautiful, sweet sounding slogans with no fundamental idealism or philosophy but also voting blindly for deceivers with idealistic/philosophical slogans propagated by persons of questionable integrity track or else! 

Gitau wa Kung'u is a 3rd year Moi University student, policy strategist, youth activist, unpublished author and poet.

Another of Dr Ruto’s Thick Quagmire: Murang’a Gubernatorial Politics.

By the pen of Gitau wa Kung'u (profgitauwakungu@gmail.com)

Do you think your life just saw a blue goat stomping and bleating “Wooi Nyasi’s price shot up?” Just think about what must be boiling in Dr Irungu Kang’ata’s and Dr. William Ruto thoughts from the sunrise of their dark Monday, June 6th.   

The UDA’s Murang’a gubernatorial candidate’s denial of IEBC’s clearance certificate for the August general elections became the shocker of the not-babysitting week. Allegedly, Dr Kang’ata’s running mate Dr Winnie Mwangi, did not resign from her job as a lecturer at University of Nairobi! 

The team has proceeded to the courts to demystify the “injustice” which some think was an act of some ghostly “Deep State” poker to either teach Dr Kang’ata a lesson for disenfranchising himself from the president’s side by denying him the county 021 governorship, or challenge the deputy president’s power over Mt. Kenya region. If Kang’ata is not in the ballot, Ruto’s campaigns in the voter populous county shall be limping. 

Many UDA supporters shall surely lose confidence in Kang’ata and contemptuously agree that he is surely a “kagege” (gullible/stupid person). He shall be the wounded, limping horse that won’t win Dr Ruto, Wangeci’s expected votes because Jubilee-Azimio’s Hon Jamleck Kamau support will gain momentum.

Nevertheless, the petition seems like the last kick of a dying horse. Dr Kang’ata is among the best lawyers in Kenya. How did he sign the partnership deal with Dr Winnie without confirming her resignation from her lecturing job yet it is a constitutional requirement that any political aspirant must have legally resigned from their jobs at least 5 months from the general elections?

Well, Dr Kang’ata blames the mishap on the haunting ghosts of his competitors. But his competitors didn’t sign Dr Winnie as his running mate, did they? The popularly known as “mtu wa barua” has been positioned either 2nd after Jubilee’s (Azimio) Hon Jamleck Kamau, when not 1st in the last several popular polls survey teams. He has been thrust forward by being offered the county’s most popular party UDA’s gubernatorial ticket! So what is the game here?

This situation stimulates several deep prospective circumstances like: 

 If Dr Kang’ata’s petition meets the Judiciary’s Grim Reaper, Will he support either former PS’ Hon Irungu Nyakera (Framers Party) or Hon Wairagu wa Maai (Democratic Party) who are his competitors in Kenya Kwanza (KK) coalition? Nyakera has been deemed the 3rd most popular County 021 gubernatorial candidate, followed by Wairagu. 

In such prospection, shall he be offered to serve in a KK government as a cabinet secretary, with regard of his being among the most influential UDA campaigners? 

It is worth noting that the odds of the KK coalition trio running for the Murang’a gubernatorial bid and winning against a single and politically strong Jubilee candidate Jamleck will culminate into their loss to the triumph of Azimio! More so, Kang’ata cannot support Nyakera and leave Wairagu. 

It is a far fetching eventuality thus that KK will end up with only one C021 governor aspirant (most probably Nyakera); while Wairagu will be forced to drop his bid in the promise of being offered an office in a KK coalition government and; both Kang’ata and Wairagu to campaign for the Farmers Party candidate. 

Whether or not Dr Kang’ata’s petition is favoured, Dr. Ruto has to intervene into the Murang’a gubernatorial politics in order to ensure the county regarded among his Mt Kenya region stronghold does not lose the governorship to Azimio. He has to diminish the sibling rivalry existing between the KK coalition gubernatorial bidders and bring them into a palpable consensus before all of them lose to Jamleck. 

WHY KENYA KWANZA WILL LOSE MURANG’A GUBERNATORIAL RACE TO AZIMIO.

Written by Gitau wa Kung’u (profgitauwakungu@gmail.com).

The former Kigumo MP, minister for Nairobi Metropolitan chairperson of Tana River Development Authority (TARDA), philanthropist and renowned businessman Hon Jamleck Kamau is among the competitors aspiring to take over Murang’as gubernatorial office after the exeunt of the incumbent HE Mwangi wa Iria. He is vying with the Jubilee ticket under the Azimio umbrella.

The odds for his becoming the next governor in a region where the largest population supports UDA are however higher than his competitors who are allied to Kenya Kwanza and Mwangi wa Iria’s Usawa Party. 

These include UDA’s Dr. Irungu Kang’ata, Farmer’s Party Hon Irungu Nyakera, Democratic Party’s Hon Wairagu wa Maai, Safina Party’s Dr. Moses Mwangi and Usawa Party’s Hon Joseph Mbai.

Three of his closest competitors according to popular poll surveys like Mizani Africa and Infortrak are not only all in the auspice of Kenya Kwanza but they also come from Murang’a North region. 

Both Dr. Kang’ata and Hon Wairagu come from Kiharu while Hon Irungu Nyakera comes from Mathioya. Dr. Moses, Hon Mbai and Hon Jamleck all come from Murang’a South region.

Taking into account that Hon Jamleck’s political influence spreads across the region and dominates in Murang’a South even with Dr. Moses and Hon Mbai’s factor, his Kenya Kwanza competitors have a considerable following in Murang’a North each. 

Murang’a South region, which is Hon Jamleck’s stronghold, boasts of commanding more than half of the total county’s voter population. In fact, Murang’a South region (Kigumo, Maragwa, Kandara & Gatanga) registered 12, 947 while Murang’a North region (Kangema, Mathioya, Kiharu) registered 9, 135 new voters according to an analysis of IEBC’s 2021 new voter registration data.

All the three Kenya Kwanza allied gubernatorial candidates (UDA’s, Farmers Party and D.P.’s) will share the Murang’a North voting bloc that they regard as their stronghold, each on his own. Hon Jamleck will end up grasping slightly less if not almost the same number of votes as each of them in Murang’a North while he will beat each of them with a wide vote margin in his Murang’a South stronghold.

Dr. Moses hails from Maragua, Hon Mbai from Gatanga and Hon Jamleck from Kigumo. Dr. Moses’ commands around 10% of total votes in Murang’a South cast in the last 4 elections he has been aspiring for C021 governor. Hon Mbai is a new entrant in the race is will definitely get less than Dr. Moses’. 

Both Dr. Moses and Hon Mbai will most likely garner less than 14% of the 380,000+ Murang’a South voting bloc. Hon Jamleck will harvest more than 48% of Murang’a South’s votes while Dr Irungu Kang’ata will garner around 24%. Both former PS’s Nyakera and Wairagu will garner less than 12% of the total votes. 

Murang’a North region contributed around 42% of the county’s total votes cast in 2017 general election ie around 251, 000. If they divide among themselves these votes and in a presumption that Hon Jamleck garners only 20% (50,000) of the lot and one of them garners half of the votes (take Dr. Kang’ata) he would harvest at least 125,600 votes.

In the presumption that Dr. Kang’ata harvests half of Murang’a North votes (take around 130,000) and he gets 24% of Murang’a South region (take around 92,000) he would garner around 220, 000 votes.

That would mean Hon Jamleck Kamau will garner more than 232,000 votes and beat UDA’s Dr. Irungu Kang’ata. In Murang’a County, voter turnout is likely to reduce but with a negligible margin owing to the fact that it's a politically very active area.

Thus will Kenya Kwanza lose the Murang’a gubernatorial seat to Azimio in a region it regards UDA (Kenya Kwanza) stronghold. 

The KK coalition has to sacrifice either Nyakera or both Nyakera and Wairagu and promise them top government jobs (if at all KK makes the next government) to secure the Murang’a gubernatorial seat. Otherwise it shall be the case of “mbogo nyingi itiri thathi.” The English often say too many cooks spoil the broth, don’t they?