Nduku Kilonzo joins race for Makueni senate seat

By Victor Nzuma and Daniel Nzia

Machakos, Kenya: The late Makueni senator Mutula Kilonzo’s widow Nduku Kilonzo has joined the race to succeed her late husband.

She made the announcement in Machakos, after attending a memorial service for the late Machakos Catholic Bishop Urbanus Kioko which was also attended by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Fielding questions from journalists she said; “Yes I confirm to you that I’m in the race.” 

She however declined to name the party she will run on, promising to divulge that at a later date.

She also said Mutula’s daughter Kethi Kilonzo will not be running for the seat although we could not reach the lawyer for her comment.

Confusion reigned at the Machakos Golf club play grounds, over which party should field a candidate to replace late Kilonzo for the seat, as President Uhuru Kenyatta took off in an Airforce chopper.

Earlier, Lands Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu introduced the late senator's widow Nduku Kilonzo to the President sending signal that she would be preferred as a possible replacement for her husband.

The church congregation and the leaders who accompanied the President comprising some MPs from Machakos and Makueni counties cheered her up with some proposing her for the senatorial race on a jubilee ticket.

But the scenario changed shortly when MPs from Makueni county led by Kitonga Maanzo  (Makueni constituency) and his Kaiti counterpart Mr Makenga, when they loudly protested the decision insisting that whoever will vie on the Wiper party ticket will carry the day.

The MPs who engaged in the debate soon after the President took off insisted that the Wiper party had already endorsed Kethi Kilonzo, and nobody else would succeed in the race on a different party ticket.

They said Makueni people had vowed not to let the seat go to any party other than Wiper and warned those trying to intrude on other parties that they stood to lose terribly.

The MPs vowed to do what it takes to ensure the seat goes back to Wiper party and called on Makueni voters to reject any body out to manipulate them to gain from the seat contrary to their wish.