By Our Correspondent
Worth Noting:
- The senator is credited with fighting for the subdivision of the then Nyeri district to eight sub counties and hundreds of locations thereby creating employment for more chiefs and their assistants.
- In Mathira for instance, the number of chiefs has risen from seven a decade ago to twenty five today and the number of assistant chiefs has grown to over seventy from twenty five.
- Residents are delighted that recruitment of their sons and daughters into the disciplined forces has doubled as the constituency is administratively served by two sub counties though it’s not geographically large inspite of population density.
Nyeri Senator Engineer Ephraim Mwangi Maina has entered the already crowded race for the County’s Chief Executive Officer- the Governor- complicating the entire political arithmetic in the county.
Maina who is held in awe for his go getting prowess and seamless pockets has previously served as Mathira constituency Member of Parliament.
His entry brings to six the total number of aspirant for the seat currently held by Edward Mutahi Kahiga who took over from the late Patrick Wahome Gakuru who died in a grisly road accident at Kabati area in Murang’a barely three months after winning in August 2017 General Election.
Gakuru had beaten the second county boss Samwel Wamathai Githaiga who had serve for a mere five months after the county’s first governor, Nderitu Gachagua passed on after a long battle with cancer succumbing in February that year.
The senator is credited with fighting for the subdivision of the then Nyeri district to eight sub counties and hundreds of locations thereby creating employment for more chiefs and their assistants.
In Mathira for instance, the number of chiefs has risen from seven a decade ago to twenty five today and the number of assistant chiefs has grown to over seventy from twenty five.
Residents are delighted that recruitment of their sons and daughters into the disciplined forces has doubled as the constituency is administratively served by two sub counties though it’s not geographically large inspite of population density.
Interestingly, the constituency has produced four of the six contestants of the seat- two engineers, two economists; each with his own credentials but the senator standing head and shoulders over the others having served as an MP and senator coupled with financial might and an unrivalled network.
However none of the candidates can be wished away as the other engineer, Wahome Wamatinga rides on popularity of the late Gachagua who was highly charismatic while is himself the chairman of NGCDF that has delivered in the last four years
The other, Peter Maina Munyiri is along serving banker leaning formal employment as the chief executive officer of Family bank and currently running his microfinance institution in the city while his schoolmate Gachara Kamanga popularly known as Anko G has been a consultant for various international bodies.
Industrialists Thuo Mathenge who hails from Nyeri town constituency prides himself as the biggest employer in the county in his chain of businesses spread out across the county and beyond.
He contested the same seat in 2013 coming third after eventual winner Gachagua and runner-up Gakuru while in 2017 he was knocked out on a technicality.
The incumbent, Kahiga is a career teacher who rose through the ranks to a headteacher and later elected as KNUT Executive Secretary where he served until he was sworn in as deputy governor.
He hails from Kieni which has the highest number of registered voters with about 120,00 followed by Mathira with 110,000.
Both Kahiga and Wamatinga are expected to face off in UDA nominations while the senator is widely expected running on the Democratic Party of Kenya (DP) with Munyiri grabbing the PNU ticket. Kamanga has yet to declare his party preference.
The race is just taking shape as dynamics point fluidity as the August 9 D-Day draws nigh.
Dennis Dibondo