Reports that Kirinyaga county governor Anne Waiguru(Pictured above) is considering not to defend her seat in 2022 has opened the race wide with Interior principal secretary Karanja Kibicho’s name being mentioned as the force behind.
Waiguru is said to be stepping down for Kibicho to counter William Ruto in the race.
Woman representative Purity Ngirici and Narc-Kenya leader Martha Karua are believed to be salivating for the seat. Ngirici is Ruto candidate.
The reports of the governor not defending her seat were first made by a former State House blogger Dennis Itumbi who claimed she made the decision after meeting opposition leader Raila Odinga at his Capitol Hill offices recently.
Waiguru who is the deputy team leader of the Building Bridges Initiative in Mt Kenya region is said to be considering running for Gichugu parliamentary seat to pave way for her appointment as a cabinet secretary in line with the BBI recommendations.
Woman Representative, Purity Ngirici
She is also eyeing the prime minister’s position in 2022 as BBI stipulates one must be an elected MP to be appointed by the president to the position and also the gender aspect to win women votes across the country.
Waiguru, a close insider of Uhuru Kenyatta has been championing for BBI across the country and her performance as governor of Kirinyaga has been poor.
Already, there are reports that Kibicho is toying with the idea of contesting the gubernatorial seat in 2022.
Kibicho is considered the super principal secretary and chairs the powerful National Development Implementation Technical Committee which was formed by Uhuru through Executive Order Number 1 of 2019 dated January 21 2019.
He has the administrative networks of the national government on speed dial.
With immense powers at his disposal, and support from State House, Kibicho has been an insider in the war on corruption and the reorganisation of the Kenyatta II State.
But the CS has turned out to be the punching bag of elements who on the side of Ruto as the heir-apparent once Uhuru’s final term comes to a close.
Kibicho
The rise of Kibicho from a chairman of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in 2010 to one of the most-coveted positions in government is partly attributed to his resolute tendencies.
But Kibicho has publicly ruled out going for the governor’s seat in the 2022 general election, saying he is not interested in politics given he is the most senior civil servant from the region. But the move is said to test political waters and enter the race on grounds her has been pressured by Kirinyaga voters. Nyandarua governor Francis Kimemia occupied the Kibicho office and decided to join governorship race to protect himself against those fighting him in Jubilee. The trick has worked well.
Speaking at Kang’aru village in Mwea constituency, Kibicho told residents that some influential local leaders had asked him to run for the seat but that he is too busy for that.
“When in social gatherings in my village with my friends, some opinion leaders inform me that I’m doing a good job and that I’m better-placed to lead the region. I don’t want any political seat,” he said.
Kibicho said his interest in the region’s development should not be misconstrued as an indication that he will vie for the position.
However, all politicians have a tendency of denying their next move as they plan how to vanquish their opponents.
For Ngirici, a close ally of the deputy president, she has been creating campaign strategies as she prepares to battle it out for the top county seat with other aspirants.
Already, some residents have started drumming up support for her owing to what they are saying are projects she has initiated in the county through the National Government Affirmative Action Fund.
According to residents in Kerugoya, Mwea and Kirinyaga Central, Ngirici has uplifted the living standards of locals in the county through the empowerment of women, youth and the elderly.
Karua
With the residents’ remarks coming at a time when the political tempo is high in the country, there is no doubt other aspirants will face an uphill task to beat her.
For Waiguru, she has also fallen out with most MCAs over the ward development fund and bursary allocations, with some joining Ngirici’s camp.
Waigiru is now accompanying Raila in his forays of marketing the BBI. She has turned out to be one of the deputy president’s harshest critics.
For the Narc-Kenya party leader, her determination of becoming the next governor of Kirinyaga is still valid despite losing a petition to nullify Waiguru’s win in the 2017 general election.
Speaking at Kang’aru Primary School in Mwea constituency during the funeral service for the mother of a Jubilee politician, Karua said she is confident that this time around, she will win the seat with a resounding victory.
Karua suffered a setback in August last year after the Supreme Court dismissed a petition she had filed challenging the election of Waiguru as Kirinyaga governor.
She had moved to the Supreme Court after losing at the High Court and Court of Appeal where the case had been dismissed.
Others likely to enter the ring are Charles Kibiru the Kirinyaga senator. In the 2017 general election, Kabiru won the senatorial seat as an independent candidate.
Peter Ndambiri, the deputy governor is also said to be eyeing the seat in 2022 polls.
