Nakuru's Political Landscape: My Opinion

Nakuru is surely one of the most crucial counties in Kenya out of its rich endowment of natural resources, a golden climate and a cosmopolitan population. In fact many people argue correctly about it that it is ‘Kenya in a nut shell.’ For these and many other latent reasons one will expect its residents to be very ‘choosy and critical’ in getting its premier governor to intelligently get going the devolved system of government next year. 

Now while its former history of ethnic clashes makes cohesion and integration almost the key agenda on the manifesto of any of its gubernatorial aspirants, Nakuru, like any other county will need a governor with a mind for business. Such a person is one who will steer ahead the region currently feted as the fastest growing in Africa, to hopefully, the fastest growing in the world – actually this potential is not just visible but stares on every door step sarcastically almost asking “why am I not being harnessed?”

And by now you may have heard the men, no woman so far, interested in taking up this challenge. They are led by the incumbent Nakuru Town legislator and Assistant Minister in The Ministry of Roads, Lee Kinyanjui and immediate former Administration Police Commandant Kinuthia Mbugua who are the front runners so far and who I wish to talk about in this article much deeper. 

This boy from Njoro might be having an idea of Nakuru politial landscape

But we also have John Mututho, incumbent Naivasha legislator and the voice behind the alcohol laws in the tenth parliament, a task that has seen him attract friends and foes in equal measures on regulation of alcohol consumption in the country.  We also have Dr. Francis Kiranga, an Economics scholar and a businessman in Nairobi who is said to be a perennial loser in Molo politics since the 70’s. Then we have Rev. Lawrence Bomet, famous for ‘pastoring’ Nakuru at the Nakuru Chapel, a onetime chaplain of the protestant flock of Egerton University and an immediate former commissioner with the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC). 

Well, looking at this five-man political basket one sees that on the mere principal of popularity, on a national scale, Dr. Kiranga stands to lose in that perennial style he is allegedly known for. For Rev. Bomet the privileges he got while working with NCIC can boost his chances, plus put on a test he is the most eloquent of all the five. However none of these will work for him and it might be prudent for him if he agrees with any of the front runners to be a running mate. 

So what about Mututho? You see a governor is going to be the county president, so even the campaigns for the post are in way ‘presidential.’ They require a lot of resources and needed to seriously start early. Mututho has not been very articulate and strategic as has Kinuthia and Kinyanjui in this campaign. May be he has just assumed that the alcohol laws will endear him to many a people and give him an advantage. Anyway, his desire for the county stewardship is yet to form from the crystallization process it is going through, as it is that of Rev. Bomet and Dr. Kiranga.

That finally leaves us with Kinyanjui and Kinuthia.

Lee Kinyanjui is a pretty young man – just turning 40 – who can be available for a chat when he feels like. I say ‘when he feels like’ as some people who were close to him have disclosed how he allegedly ran away from them once he became a VIP in 2008. In fact there are quite a huge chunk of Nakurians would rather look for his alternative on this fact alone. But he presents a sober mind and he promises to do business with the masses. Only he will have to prove he is ‘a man of the people’ better than he has done. 

Kinyanjui started his campaigns much early, almost immediately the new constitution was promulgated and the new devolved government posts were announced. By now we are sure he has ‘seen Nakuru’s council of elders’ – a group of elderly men (no women) who allegedly control the politics of Nakuru on decisions they arrive at during goat eating sessions anywhere in town but in some ‘members clubs only hotels’. Of course he who wants the favours of the group buys the ‘goat’. 

Note that Kinyanjui is in parliament courtesy of KANU. But one knows how KANU has behaved in the past politically, so even when we report how he almost lacked direction some time back he will be excused. Anyway let us just say he once showed the interest of ditching KANU which we saw and asked him but which he kept on denying until he finally came out of the woods. 

Let us also say when he did that, i.e. coming out of the woods, he almost identified with Mudavadi’s United Democratic Forum (UDF). My argument is based on a UDF campaign Mudavadi led soon after its birth at Afraha Stadium where Kinyanjui was featured almost in some kind of re-loaded style. There he announced, like he has done many times when cornered on his political stand, as only interested in working with likeminded individuals. Never mind though he had even written on his facebook account about this rally in advance calling the people of Nakuru to attend it and be peaceful. Now never mind also that when the Prime Minister Raila Odinga organized a similar tour by his ODM team at the same venue Kinyanjui would not be in haste to announce it to his people. And he would feature no where almost telling you where his political interests lie. But finally he is in The National Alliance (TNA). Enough on him for now, let’s turn to Kinuthia.

Kinuthia Mbugua, is an aged provincial administrator who rose to become a police commandant. He speaks slowly, albeit faintly, and the political vigor one would expect in an aspirant does not present itself so well in him. One might guess right that he has been accustomed to giving directions, not shouting, but may be so firm that whatever he says is followed to detail and someone has to come back to report with a “Yes Sir, Yes Afande.” Down here he seems to be loved by the old who maybe just want one of their own in the helm of the county. But even the young are said to be falling in love with him partly because he may be presenting something new on the political arena which may be exciting to savor. 

As a new comer Kinuthia however will be faced with the challenge of political naivety, a challenge he is being said to counter by having a ‘serious’ grass root campaign team and one that started the work for him even when he was in government. He will need to explain clearly how he will transit from the ‘administrator’ he has been in government to a ‘democratic’ office where even a child will have the guts to tell to him “to hell with your policies Mr. Governor.” Plus he has reached retirement age and one can aptly argue that he should go home and rest since the office he is chasing will need a much more ‘young, fresh, and robust’ individual. He too is in TNA.

So these are the two men who promise a tough race with each other in the flamingo county. And since they are in the same party, which is actually the party to reckon with here the party primaries here will tell it all if early on who Nakuru’s county governor will be come 2013, March 4^th.

I know you want to argue about the politics of party manifestos. Look it has become difficult to convince the voter on the ground about it. Even by now you know that we are still aligning ourselves to tribes and party euphoria will determine in a big way who forms government next year. On this principle alone, Nakuru will give a Kikuyu governor and in that case from TNA and this we shall know by December. 

Besides this, Nakuru county exhibits the signs of not being able to meet the one third gender requirement as stipulated in the constitution come the elections. For your information the county has been divided into 55 wards and it will need at least 19 seats to be picked by each gender for this law to be achieved. Women in this respect are likely to be beaten as not very strong women candidates have shown interest in the county politics. 

One of the women who looked sober and strong for this is one Damaris Mbuthia, currently serving as the Deputy Mayor. But she has since decided to go for the Women M.P seat in the county, the single basket where the women politicians here are stuffed.  Yet still and unfortunately for her Damaris was recently involved in a murky scuffle in the politics of the Municipal Council of Nakuru whence the incumbent Mayor Muhammed Suraw was assaulted. Those advising Damaris should advice her early enough that this incident is enough to finish her politically should anyone go to court on her conduct and that of the rest of the team including Mayor Suraw in their handling of public office.

Others in this race are Grace Kibuku, a very outgoing woman in Nakuru town and who has arguably interacted with the who is who in Kenya’s political scenes. Grace is also a philanthropist and Rotarian who has a big heart for women and the girl child but generally for everyone with special needs. She also has a soft spot for health issues, and cancer specifically having lost her dad through it. She is also preaching peace having been personally affected by the post election violence in 2007/2008.

There is also one Purity Muritu, a graduate of Egerton University who wants to use her dairy technology skills to “improve agriculture and the welfare of the people of Nakuru in a big way.” Molo also has an aspirant for this post who is basing her candidature on her experience in maternal health.

Let us also say there is a Nakuru based journalist who has been saying she will try her luck in this. But I advice her to continue being a scribe, since although I don’t hate her and I would personally do my best to see her win, I don’t think she has the muscle to make a woman county rep, let alone a woman M.P. You see, she lacks that critical analysis of the political landscape in Kenya today, so I am not sure what she wants to do with her alleged candidature.

Besides the women running for the women seat there are other women who are promising to show men a run for their strength in the coming elections. I am talking of one Rev. Ziporah Kimani who is eyeing the Senatorial seat. Actually until I met the Sam Ole Nairoshi I felt Ziporah was the best candidate for this seat which is also being eyed by former Naivasha M.P Jane Kihara and Koigi wa Wamwere a veteran politician who needs no introduction in Kenya today. I see Ziporah and Nairoshi becoming the two horses in this only they should not under estimate Koigi whose knowledge on not just Kenya’s but world politics can deflate their egos with a snap…pap!

I finish by saying there will be need for serious vetting by the public for those seeking elective posts in this county. Should we miss we might miss the much needed speed in the take off on devolution for the next five years. Then I lament the women leadership gap in the making. 

I will keep you updated. Cheers!