Betty Maina Announces She Will Not Seek Re-election as Murang’a Woman Representative

Murang’a Woman Representative Betty Maina told residents on Monday that she will not stand for the seat in the 2027 general election.

Maina, identified as a close supporter of President William Ruto in the Mt Kenya area, described the move as a political farewell to the electorate that chose her in 2022.

She said the decision reflects shifting political dynamics in the region, especially the rising strength of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP).

The outcome of the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election on July 16, in which DCP candidate Sammy Kamau Ngotho secured 35,440 votes against United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate Samuel Muchina Nyaga’s 5,450, convinced her that the ground had changed.

Maina noted that the campaign saw the ruling party distribute items such as rice, beans, mattresses, blankets, cooking-gas cylinders, transport cash and even boats to voters, yet the effort did not secure victory.

She recalled that beneficiaries slept on the mattresses and used the blankets and gas cylinders to prepare tea, adding that she had never witnessed such a campaign before.

During the gathering she sang the song “Ndi Mwihitukiri”, a well-known tune by Wahome wa Maingi, before delivering her statement.

“Today I have come to say thank you for the five years you gave me to serve as your woman representative. To those I have served and those who have appreciated my work, I am grateful. To anyone I may have offended along the way, I sincerely apologise,” Maina said.

Maina urged voters to evaluate the candidates who will contest the seat, urging them to choose someone who will continue programmes such as issuing cheques to women’s groups, assisting orphans and supporting children with disabilities.

She had earlier signalled an intention to run for the Murang’a governorship in 2027, a contest that could pit her against incumbent Governor Irungu Kang’ata, who is expected to seek re-election on a DCP ticket, and Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome, who is running on a UDA ticket.

Maina was first elected in the 2022 elections on a UDA ticket, making the upcoming poll her first opportunity to pursue a second term.

The announcement comes as political competition intensifies in Murang’a, a county viewed as pivotal in the evolving alliances of the Mt Kenya region.

She is married to Mathira MP Eric Wamumbi and is popularly known as “Betty ee Sawa”.