They sneered at Baba Yao: The nine lives of Ferdinand Waititu

 Kiambu Gubernatorial aspirant Ferdinand Waititu

If you had told Ferdinand Waititu Baba Yao when he was a humble sand seller that he would one day be referred to as “His Excellency,” he would probably have roared with laughter. Now he is a heartbeat a way from the coveted governor’s mansion in Kiambu - Kenya’s second wealthiest county.

Waititu’s journey to the top echelons of power began in 2002 when he was elected to City Hall as a councillor for Njiru ward on a Kanu ticket at a time when Nairobi was a National Rainbow Coalition (Narc) zone. In fact, he was the only Kanu councillor in the assembly.

Four years later, he manoeuvred his way to become the deputy mayor, but still in Kanu. Ora Ora, as he was known to his Njiru supporters and by extension Embakasi followers when he was elected MP in 2008, Waititu used to sell sand at the sluggish Njiru shopping centre – a trade he had plied for almost two years after he quit formal employment.

At City Hall, the daredevil politician started challenging the authority of then Embakasi MP David Mwenje, now deceased. Mwenje was a feared man and few dared cross his path. But Waititu took the bull by its horns, always gatecrashing into meetings and rallies convened by the fiery MP who was the self-styled commander of the vicious Jeshi La Embakasi.

In the run-up to the 2007 General Election, Mwenje and Waititu were embroiled in endless running battles until the former opted not contest on a Party of National Unity (PNU) ticket. Mwenje’s surrender left an almost a smooth ride for Waititu who faced off with Mugabe Were of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).

PNU and ODM were the most popular parties of the time – securing a ticket from either party was a done deal. As Mwenje faded into oblivion, Waititu’s star started to rise. He once bragged that if he managed to contain Mwenje, then nothing could stop him.

He however narrowly lost to Mugabe, who, sadly, was killed a few days after being elected into office. The vacancy prompted a by-election, which Waituti won after trouncing ODM’s Esther Passaris. Waititu served the entire term and was at one point made assistant minister for Water. When Parliament was dissolved ahead of the 2013 General Election, he declared interest in the Nairobi governor’s seat.

Many dismissed him as a joker, terming him as an “uncivilised ghetto politician” accustomed to the rule of the jungle. As Embakasi MP, Waititu frequently clashed with the police and alleged land grabbers and was once captured on television cameras hurling stones and slapping the daylights out of an alleged land grabber. He earned the nickname Baba Yao, a moniker he recently added to his official title.

But even as he navigated the corridors of justices answering to several charges against him based on his love for “justice, Embakasi style,” his ambition to become the first governor of Nairobi over polished and refined rivals like Dr Evans Kidero, Jimnah Mbaru and John Gakuo never waned.

In a debate moderated by a local TV station, the urbane Kidero rattled off his management credentials and his grasp of the macro issues affecting the county of Nairobi, mocking Waititu with the sort of scorn that Hillary Clinton reserved for the ‘dumb’ Donald Trump. But the smug expression on his face must have been wiped off when Baba Yao gave him the scare of his life, polling 617,839 votes against his 692,483. Baba Yao then briefly retreated back into private business before an opportunity presented itself in 2015 following the fatal shooting of Kabete MP George Muchai. He ran for the seat in the ensuing by-election and won, then declared that his intention was to send Governor William Kabogo packing.

The wealthy and crisp-talking Kabogo perceived as haughty and arrogant, repeated Kidero’s mistake, sneering at Waititu. He paid for it with a hefty kick on the backside during the just-concluded Jubilee nominations - polling a paltry 69,916 votes against Waititu’s overwhelming 353,60.

It was a massacre.

The stone thrower is dead. Long live the governor!