Uhuru biggest nightmare – Weekly Citizen

The rare visit by Uhuru Kenyatta to Juja constituency to campaign for the Jubilee Party’s candidate Susan
Waititu in the May 18 by-election signified the importance of the parliamentary seat to the first family.
The seat fell vacant following the death of MP Francis Waititu, popularly known as Wakapee Waititu who died on February 23 at MP Shah Hospital in Nairobi while undergoing treatment, was serving his second term as MP having being elected on TNA ticket in 2013 and Jubilee in 2017 general elections. He was suffering from brain cancer. Juja which is in the president’s home county of Kiambu has been represented in parliament by two Kenyatta family members. The first was Peter Kenyatta Muigai, son of Mzee Kenyatta and his first wife Grace Wahu Kenyatta. Born on November 20 1920, Peter was the firstborn son of Mzee Kenyatta who would have been the undisputed heir of his vast estate only for death to snatch him away. Peter contested in the 1974 elections and defeated the then incumbent MP Gitu Kahengeri to become the second Juja MP.He was appointed by his father, Mzee Kenyatta, as an assistant minister for Foreign Affairs.

Susan Waititu

When Mzee Kenyatta died in 1978, Peter was 58 years old and was even older than his father’s last wife former First Lady Mama Ngina. But one year after Mzee Kenyatta’s death, on October 28 1979, Peter died days to the 1979 elections that were slated for November 8 1979. It is said that the overweight Peter suffered a heart attack while being carried shoulder high by his supporters after he panicked fearing that he was going to fall down. His death saw his rival Kahengeri declared elected unopposed as the area Kanu MP.In the September 26 1983 elections, George Muhoho brother of Mama Ngina Kenyatta was elected the Juja MP and retained the seat in the controversial mlolongo elections of 1988.Those who have represented Juja in parliament are Kahengeri (1969), Peter (1974), Kahengeri (1979), Muhoho (1983), Muhoho (1988), Stephen Ndichu (1992), Ndichu (1997), William Kabogo (2002), George Thuo (2007), Kabogo (2010 by-election), Waititu (2013) and 2017 elections.The importance of the seat to the Kenyatta family is demonstrated by the vast economic interests they have in the region. For instance, it is part of the 11,576 acres land where the first family intends to build the Northland city.

George Koimburi

Secondly, Wakapee’s main rival for the seat, George Koimburi, belongs to Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria’s party, People Empowerment Party.Kuria is the president and his mother’s representative in the national assembly as he represents Gatundu South where they hail from. But Kuria has severed relations with the first family, to become their biggest critic and tormentor in Kiambu county. What again makes the game interesting is that Kuria’s candidate, Koimburi in the 2017 elections contested for the seat on David Kigochi’s Farmers Party, coming second to the winner, Munyua.Koimburi, through Kuria, has now received the backing of William Ruto, another man who has severed ties with Uhuru. Curiously, the deputy president ordered his United Democratic Party not to field a candidate in Juja even though the party had invited candidates eyeing the post to apply for nomination which saw three aspirants, Eunice Wanjiru, a relative of former Ruiru mayor William Mugo, Ken Gachuma, a businessman who worked under the late MP as CDF chairman between 2013 and 2015 and businessman Zack Wang’ombe – submit their applications, gearing up for the nominations. The race, according to pundits, is one the Kenyatta family cannot to afford to lose, and more so lose to a man backed by their biggest foe, Ruto.

James Marungo

That explains why the provincial administration has been tasked to campaign for Wakapee and to do everything possible to ensure she secures the seat. Ironically, as Wakapee was campaigning day and night, her main rival, Koimburi was facing charges in court for using fake academic certificates to be cleared for the contest. Koimburi appeared before Kiambu chief magistrate Patriciah Gichohi in a virtual session where he denied three counts of forgery and was ordered to pay Sh100,000 cash bail. On April 14, the court had issued a warrant of arrest against Koimburi for failing to honour court summons. According to the charge sheet, between November and December 1994, Koimburi forged a Kenya National Examination Council certificate and between September 2011 and April 2012, forged a Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology certificate of participation. He presented the forged documents to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to be cleared to contest the by-election.

Zulu Thiong’o

But despite his predicament, Koimburi is the main challenger to Susan, the widow of the former MP. The importance of the seat to the president was also demonstrated by the fact that Susan’s campaign was led by Jubilee Party’s top brass comprising Kiambu governor James Nyoro and his predecessor William Kabogo, Ruiru MP Simon King’ara and former Dagoretti West MP Denis Waweru. In the rallies, Nyoro urged Juja residents to shun divisive politics and instead embrace development-oriented leadership. Koimburi who previously sought the Jubilee ticket but defected to PEP, ran for the seat against Wakapee on Farmers Party in 2017 election and came a distant second with 10,165 votes against the winner’s 66,190. Beside Susan and Koimburi, other contenders are Joseph Gichui, businessman James Marungo, Zulu Thiong’o, John Njoroge, Kariuki Chege, Eunice Mugo and Anthony Kirori.