The 13th memorial of the late former Vice President Michael Christopher Simiyu Wamalwa Kijana held at his Milimani home was one of its kind as it deviated from its traditional song of politicians pledging to stand for Luhya unity and instead delved to endorsing Water and Irrigation Services cabinet secretary Eugene Wamalwa to vie for Nairobi City County governorship.
The service that was dominated by Jubilee politicians from Nairobi and parts of Central Kenya with a host of leaders from Western and North Rift leaning on the ruling coalition saw speaker after speaker affirm that Wamalwa is the right candidate for the city’s top job.
Led by controversial legislator Moses Kuria of Gatundu South, Nairobi women county member of Parliament Rachael Shebesh and former Starehe MP Bishop Margaret Wanjiru and a host of MPs from Nairobi with over 30 members of county assembly from Nairobi county pledged their support to the CS for the top job as thousands of people who turned up at the ceremony listened carefully.
The politicians who were given priority in the ceremony as the chief guests took their time to convince the people of Trans Nzoia and the entire former Western province dominated by the Luhya community that Wamalwa’s choice for the gubernatorial seat was not a mistake but it is something that had been deliberated upon for a long time and a conclusion reached to front him on a Jubilee ticket.
“We are here today guided by the spirits of the late VP Wamalwa Kijana to tell you that we are fully in support of your son Eugene Wamalwa to deliver the seat of governor in Nairobi and let nobody doubt that Kikuyus cannot be trusted in supporting someone from a different community,” said Kuria.
He added that the Luhya community should also demonstrate their unity by rallying behind Wamalwa in Nairobi before showing te same unity back home to support president Uhuru Kenyatta in the next general elections.
“As we pledge to support Wamalwa to clinch the seat of governor in Nairobi, you should also rally your sons and daughters living in Nairobi to support him and also support Uhuru Kenyatta down here,” added the Gatundu South legislator.
Kuria who was the chief guest of the day challenged those who doubt the ability of Wamalwa to run the economy of the city county noting that the CS currently runs a budget of over Kshs 400 billion in his ministry hence wondered how he cannot manage to run a budget of Kshs 40 billion that Nairobi county revolves on annually.
Wanjiru on her part-who was introduced as Wamalwa’s running mate in their quest to seek the mandate of clinching the seat-said that she has the ability to turn things around in the city to ensure that she can deliver the seat to Wamalwa without any doubt.
“I am confident and sure that given chance and support we can deliver the seat of governor in Nairobi with my brother Eugene here because we are grown ups and we know what we want for the interest of our people,” said Wanjiru.
She further bragged that she is the determining factor of majority of Nairobi’s politicians in the next election hence dismissed those who are opposed to Wamalwa’s bid terming them nonstarters who will not manage to retain their seats in the next polls.
“Some of those people who are saying that they are the owners of Nairobi to shut up because most of them have no grip on their electorate and none of them shall retain their seats without my blessings,” Wanjiru added.
She claimed that in the 2013 polls she had won the seat of governor but her votes were stolen by the governor Kidero whom she claimed had used the money amassed from Mumias sugar to compromise the elections but vowed that next year’s polls will be payback time for Kidero.
Shebesh on her side that calculations for Wamalwa to clinch the gubernatorial seat in Nairobi were already sealed and those still doubting will wake up to a rude shock.
“Politics is about calculations and numbers and I would like to assure you that we have already completed the mathematics of Nairobi county whereby we are going to sweep all the seats right from the governor, senator, the 17 members of national assembly and virtually majority of the county assembly seats,” Shebesh assured.
She further revealed that it is a difficult task for the president to run the affairs of the country with the governor of Nairobi being held by the opposition hence Jubilee coalition was determined to deliver the seat through Wamalwa in the next polls.
“It has been very difficult for President Uhuru Kenyatta to run the activities of the country with the governor of Nairobi being held by the opposition and that is why we are determined to ensure that we take charge of the county after the next general elections and that is why we are confident that your son Wamalwa here shall clinch the seat,” added the legislator.
Shebesh who is married to a Luhya from Khwisero in Kakamega county challenged the Luhya community living in Nairobi not to be used to assist other communities to ascent to power yet they are among the majority of Nairobians among the 17 constituencies.
She also called upon the community of the Luhya Nation to overwhelmingly support President Uhuru Kenyatta in next year’s polls as Kikuyus also rally behind Wamalwa for the gubernatorial seat.
Other MPs including Kanini Kega of Kieni in Nyeri County, Ndirangu of Embakasi Central, Gakuya of Embakasi North and 35 MCAs from Nairobi county affirmed their support for Wamalwa to become next governor of Nairobi.
“Nairobi belongs to every Kenyan and it is not a reserve of any particular community hence whoever says that Nairobi has its owners then is making a big mistake and in fact the owners of Nairobi are sitted here therefore whoever is not here cannot purport to determine anything as far as Nairobi politics is concerned,” said Ndirangu a former mayor of the defunct Nairobi City Council and now MP.
Kanini Kega revealed that he was the first person to propose Wamalwa as the right candidate for Jubilee to vie for the seat of governor in the next general elections and was now happy that even after it elicited a lot of rections, the dust has now settled and everybody has now bought his idea to support Wamalwa in his bid and affirmed that the Central region community shall rally behind him.
The 35 MCAs who were each given opportunity to speak pledged their support for Wamalwa as the next governor and alluded confidence that Wamalwa is the man to beat for the most coveted elective seat in the country’s city.
Luhya leaders support Wamalwa but add a caution
Luhya politicians who attended the ceremony supported Wamalwa’s move to vie for the seat in Nairobi saying that he has a constitutional right to vie for any elective seat in any part of the country adding that he has matured up to contest for such high profile seats.
However they cautioned the Kikuyu community against any ‘monkey tricks’ in their pledges to support Wamalwa for governor and urged them to be trustworthy in their support.
Budalang’i legislator Ababu Namwamba said that he fully supports Wamalwa for the seat but wanted an assurance from the Nairobi community especially the Kikuyus to demonstrate their support for Wamalwa’s candidature.
Former Kitale Mayor Joshua Werunga told the crowd to keenly scrutinize the speeches of the visitors who had come to seek for a hand with their son Wamalwa to look them right in the eyes and determine whether their pledges were genuine and anything to go by.
“My people I would like you to look right into the eyes of these people who want to take away our son to determine if they are telling us the truth about their support for him or they are just lying to us,” said Werunga as he switched to his Bukusu dialect.
Saboti MP Wafula Lazaro also told the crowd that by giving out Wamalwa to vie for the seat in Nairobi it does not mean that the community was desperate with him but pointed out that he still stood high chances of winning the governor’s seat in his Trans Nzoia home county hence he should not be taken for granted as he ventures in the Nairobi politics.
“We know very well that if Eugene vied for the seat of governor here in Trans Nzoia he would win by 9am in the morning because he was the man to beat for that seat hence by giving him out to Nairobi it does not mean that we had nothing to do with him and therefore you should know that we are keenly watching his progress there,” said Wafula.
Trans Nzoia county member of parliament Janet Nangabo said that Wamalwa has matured up to venture in any form of politics or leadership position equating him to a girl who leaves her home to get married once she is matured up and the parents cannot cling to their daughter.
The politicians further cautioned former speaker of the national assembly Kenneth Marende against sabotaging Wamalwa’s bid by declaring interest in the same seat of Nairobi governor.
Those who told off Marende included Ababu Namwamba, Janet Nangabo, Moses Kuria among others who expressed their displeasure in his recent declaration in going for the seat just shortly after Wamalwa had been unveiled for the same seat.
Wamalwa welcomed the support
Wamalwa on his side he welcomed the support he received from the Nairobi, Central and Western leaders to vie for the seat and said that he is up to the task to deliver the seat.
He noted that the Luhya community’s relationship with the Kikuyu community started back during the run up to the 2002 general elections when the late VP teamed up with now retired president Mwai Kibaki and Charity Ngilu to form the then NARC government that seized power from retired president Daniel Arap Moi who had ruled the country under one party state for 24 years.
“This journey that we have started here today is just a continuation of what my late brother Wamalwa Kijana started with retired president Mwai Kibaki and Charity Ngilu in 2002 that delivered the NARC government and therefore I now ask you if you are ready to support me continue with the journey. Do you allow me to continue with this journey? Are you ready to walk with me in this journey?” Wamalwa asked the crowd as it yelled back in affirmation.
Other leaders who attended the ceremony included governors Ken Lusaka of Bungoma, Moses Akaranga of Vihiga and Simon Kachapin of West Pokot and other dignitaries including ambassadors Dr. George Sirengo Masafu who represents Kenya in the democratic Republic of Congo, Ambassador Isaac Njenga from Namibia and Professor George Godia representing Kenya in France among others who supported Wamalwa’s bid and the entire Jubilee government.
