Race gains momentum
The Mountain Journal
The battle for Kandara parliamentary seat has intensified with 13 aspirants battling for UDA ticket to replace the former MP Alice Wahome, now Water and Irrigation Cabinet secretary.
In the past two weeks, aspirants’ posters are everywhere with some vehicles mounted with loud speakers moving around the constituency scouting for the support during the nomination on November 26.
Kandara has 105,148 registered voters with wards namely Muruka, Kagundu ini, Gaichanjiru, Ithiru, Ruchu and Ng’araria.
The leading lights eying the November 26 nomination are Andrew Kahenya, Chege Njuguna, Raphael Kiome, Injinia Stephen Mwaura, Lucy Nyambura Ngugi, Titus Njau, Injini Francis Macharia Kamau.
Also in the race are Radio Journalist Evelyn Waithira Muithirania, Ngacha Kinuthia, former Murang’a Deputy Governor Maina Kamau.
Muthirania, Chege and the deputy governor have come back to try their luck after they participated during the last General Election. Muithirania was aspiring for the Murang’a Woman Representative seat.
On Friday last week, the aspirants were invited for a meeting by the UDA officials where National Elections Board Chairman Eng Antony Mwaura addressed them with assurance the nomination exercise will be fair and transparent.
“ We have no preferred candidate in Kandara as the one who will be elected by the people of Kandara on November 26 will be backed by the party in the by-election slated in January ,” said Mwaura.
Inside the meeting there were claims that the party had preferred a candidate and an issue that was rubbished by Mwaura.
Kahenya who runs Andrew Kahenya Foundation says in the past 10 years they have been with the community supporting them in promoting education and nurturing young businessmen.
“ Am not new in Kandara like most of my competitors as I pay school fees to many of the students in the constituency having been brought up in a humble background,” said Kahenya when he addressed a meeting in Muruka.
Majority of the aspirants are flocking in market centres looking for support before heading to churches and converging community meetings.
Kiome has been organizing medical camps in the villages.
Injnia Mwaura backed by Wahome has been holding at least six meetings daily, pleading for votes.
“ Am the most experienced person to replace Wahome having been in Kandara regularly unlike my competitors,” said Mwaura.
