Two women among 14 aspirants of Kahawa Wendani seat
Two women are among the 14 aspirants eyeing the Kahawa Wendani ward seat in Kiambu County whose by-election scheduled for Tuesday.
The seat fell vacant following the death of former area MCA Cyrus Omondi 'Gearbox' in December last year while on an official trip in India.
Rose Karimi, a former aspirant for the seat in the 2017 elections, now a flagbearer for Party of National Unity (PNU) and Hellen Kiragu, an independent candidate, are the only women in the crowded race.
Others include a brother to the departed MCA, Kevin Ochieng who is carrying the Jubilee Party ticket and a former MCA for Ruiru's Gitothua ward Patrick Chege Wanjiru vying on a Democratic Party ticket.
Apart from Raila Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), other have fielded candidates including Kalonzo Musyoka's Wiper Party, Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua's Maendeleo Chap Chap and PNU which is associated with Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya. Derrick Mbugua is the Wiper Party candidate while John Gachoka is running on Maendeleo Chap Chap.
Ochieng and PNU's Ms Karimi are said to be among the front-runners as well as Bernard Karanja (Baba Sharon) of People's Empowerment Party who switched parties after losing the Jubilee nomination, but the outcome can go which ever way.
Also in the race are Nderitu Njoka, the chairman of Maendeleo ya Wanaume Organization, Ben Mbugua, Bernard Karanja, Risper Rutto, Kennedy Odhiambo, David Karimi, Samuel Mboshe, David Kebaso (Party of Economic Democracy) and Eric Ouma (New Democrats Party).
Most of the candidates were initially eyeing the Jubilee ticket, but decamped to other parties after losing to Ochieng in the primaries.
Owing to Covid-19 restrictions, the campaigns which ended on Saturday have been low-key and conducted on a door-to-door basis.
Kiambu County Assembly Jubilee Party chairman Njoroge Kururia who is spearheading the party's campaign has expressed confidence that his side would retain the seat in the December 15th mini polls.
Kururia who is also the Biashara ward MCA in Ruiru constituency said his team was doing door-to-door campaigns in the populous ward and that the party got a boost recently when one of the aspirants Margaret Mungai pulled out in favour of the Jubilee candidate.
"We have been facing challenges while doing campaigns due to the Covid-19 protocols as we cannot congregate people or hold public meetings. As a result we preferred a door-to-door strategy," Kururia said.
Elsewhere Kiambu politicians George Koimburi and Isaac Gitangu who are backing Ms Karimi appealed to voters to turn out in large numbers in the by-election.
Most of the aspirants including Ochieng, Ms Karimi and Karanja have raised the issue of poor roads, water, schools, health facilities and sewage disposal as among their top priorities.
They have been feeding needy families afflicted by the Covid-19 pandemic in the densely populated ward.
