Why it may take aspirants more than luck to win Bahati MP seat

Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri will be facing formidable rivals in the August 9 General Election.

It will not be a walk in the park for Mr Ngunjiri as candidates with financial muscle have thrown their hats in the ring in an attempt to unseat the two-time MP.

He is however confident that unseating him will not be an easy task if the more than 80,000 voters in the constituency are to judge him by his track record for the last nine years.

Ngunjiri, who has unsuccessfully vied for the seat since 1997, clinched it for the first time in 2013 on The National Alliance (TNA) ticket. He was re-elected on a Jubilee ticket in 2017.

In the current Parliament, he was among the MPs elected with the highest number of votes at 60,650. He trounced his closest competitor John Mbugua, an independent candidate, who got 8,604 votes.

“I have a track record on utilisation of funds allocated to the constituency. My focus has been on security and education,” he said.

The legislator explained that part of his empowerment programmes includes sponsorship for students taking technical courses.

“I ensured there is a balance in the number of students sponsored across the five wards. Many who have graduated with technical skills are now either employed or employers,” he said.

The lawmaker said during his tenure, he lobbied for the last-mile connectivity project in the constituency.

“This has boosted the economy of most trading centres. The people of the rural Bahati can now enjoy life like their counterparts in town,” he said.

The MP, a supporter of Deputy President William Ruto, is confident he will clinch the seat on the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket.

“Political parties are like vehicles to take people to the desired destination,” he said.

However, the entry of Irene Njoki in the race is likely to challenge Ngunjiri.

Before her resignation in February, Njoki was Transport CS James Macharia’s personal assistant.

“After working in the private sector for 15 years, I joined the civil service in 2013 as a PA to Health Cabinet Secretary and later moved to a similar posting in the Ministry of Transport,” she said.

Since December last year, Njoki has been running well-oiled campaigns by sponsoring local youth and women to technical courses, among other empowerment and charity programmes.

She explained that her move to join politics was informed by her urge to change the leadership of Bahati.

“Among my areas of focus, if elected, shall include education, youth empowerment, water provision, sports, infrastructure, security, and the environment,” Njoki  said.

She explained that she is determined to face off with her male counterparts, noting that she is likely to be the constituency’s first female MP.

Njoki is yet to reveal the political party she will vie on.

Another entrant in the race is John Karanja, a retired teacher who lost five relatives in the March 2019 Ethiopian plane crash that claimed 157 lives.

He lost his wife, daughter, and three grandchildren aged between seven and nine months.

“After consultation, I resolved to vie for the seat on a UDA ticket. I am well prepared for the nominations,” Karanja said.

He explained that his plan is to save thousands of youth who lose hope after failing to make it to university or college.

“We lose many youths who fail to further their education beyond Form Four. These are people whose potential needs to be tapped,” he added. 

Former Dundori MCA Steve Kihara has also thrown his hat in the ring, seeking to make a political comeback.

“I am ready to face my competitors. I have a track record as a ward representative. I want to replicate the development I oversaw in the constituency level now,” said Kihara.