A first-year student
at University of Nairobi is among the nine candidates battling for Gaturi Ward
By-Election slated for December 15.
The 20-year-old Kelvin Mwangi Maina is struggling with
other wealthy candidates to convince the 14,000 voters in his Gaturi ward back
yard why he is the best.
“After the university
closed following the Covid 19 outbreak, I had nothing to do in my Kigongo
village, and when IEBC declared ward seat vacant following the death of MCA Cyrus
Kiiru Mbembe is found am fit to replace
him,” said Mwangi.
The late Mbembe was elected an independent candidate.
The University student
pursuing a degree in Bachelor of Commerce (B.COM), says his dream is to make
Gaturi a better place for the future generation.
The entry of Mwangi in
politics is a reminder of how senate Majority Whip Irungu Kang’ata, formerly a law
student at UON how he won Township ward seat in 2002 when he had others were
suspended from the university.
His journey to get a political
party to sponsor him was the most problematic, as leaders of the parties
suspected he was a joker.
He recounts how he was
rejected by the major political parties in Kenya when he introduced himself.
“It was only Party of Economic
Democracy (PED) that noticed my potential but not for free.
The officials of the
party recruited me to be the clerk during the recruitment of Kahawa Sukari ward
in Kiambu county,” he said.
After completion of
the political assignment, he got the certificate.
With
determination and courage, Mwangi embarks on a door to door strategy meeting
with voters, as his competitors’ drive fuel guzzlers in the vast ward in Kiharu
constituency.
Candidates
in the race include Rose Mary Wakuthie (Jubilee Party), Nelson Kenda(
Democratic Party, Esther Mwihaki Kamau (People’s Empowerment party), Chris Kimuhu of National Ordinary People’s Empowerment Party (NOPEU)among others.
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