The political landscape in Makueni County could change drastically if Mutula Kilonzo Junior bows to the public pressure to have him on the ballot as a gubernatorial candidate.

A section of residents of the county has pleaded with the current senator, who has severally been rated as the top performing senator in Kenya to run for the Governor seat to save the county from under development and frequent disagreements between the MCAs and the Executive. Several lobby groups have declared him their preferred candidate, defying the Wiper party which seems to have David Masika as their preferred candidate. The residents are trying all means possible to convince the one-time senator who came to the limelight after the death of his father, to vie for the governor. He won the senatorial seat with over 90% of the total votes cast.

Online, numerous WhatsApp and Facebook groups have been formed with the same aim: To convince the senator to go for the top county seat. The senator has however decided to keep the masses in suspense and has not commented on this matter. Remarkable among these efforts is the petition by one of the groups and a signature collection drive which target to collect 50,000 signatures.

The much he says is that the will of the people is sovereign, and God has the ultimate answer for his political future. Efforts to have him comment on this matter have not born any fruit. However, his close aides have intimidated that he shall make the big announcement before the end of 2017.

Most of the residents of Makueni feel that he’s the only candidate who can easily defeat Prof. Kibwana in the oncoming elections. The general feeling is that by fielding David Masika, the wiper party which enjoys massive support in Makueni will essentially be giving Prof. Kibwana the green light to have an easy walk into a second term. “Mutula Kilonzo Junior does not require much financing; we shall volunteer to his campaign team.” A youthful resident was quoted saying.

It is notable that during the recently finished IEBC exercise of declaring accounts, the senator did not indicate the post he shall be running for. This has further added to the dilemma as to what decision he makes.

For now, Mutula remains the man to watch in Makueni, and the residents will have to wait a little longer until he declares his political interests.