Chap Chap humbled as Kalonzo man wins Mumbuni North ward seat

Wiper's Anthony Kisoi receives a certificate from the ward IEBC returning officer, Alice Kimani shortly after being declared winner of the Mumbuni North Ward by-election. [John Muia/Standard]

The explosive contest for the Mumbuni North Ward seat in Machakos Town Constituency has finally settled the political debate as to who the boss is in Ukambani’s political landscape.

This was after Antony Kisoi, flying a Wiper Patriotic Front party ticket, defeated his fiercest opponent, Harrison Wambua of Maendeleo Chap Chap, in the hotly contested by-election whose results were declared Friday morning by the ward returning officer, Alice Kimani.

Kisoi garnered 3,849 votes, defeating Wambua, who polled second with 2,766 votes. Misi Mutua of UDA came a distant third with 809 votes. Interestingly, Nzomo Muli of the Grand Dreams Development Party (GDDP) got only 2 votes. None of the other seven candidates managed to garner 100 votes.

Kisoi’s victory was a culmination of an intensive and expensive campaign deployed by the Wiper Patriotic Front under the command of party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, who unleashed the entire party machinery that bombarded the ward with a rigorous campaign agenda.

From the onset, the election had very little to do with the aspirants. It was literally a contest of political firepower between the doyen of Ukambani politics, Kalonzo, versus the political leaders who held briefs for President William Ruto.

Throughout the nearly three-month vote-hunting period, the campaign messages were packaged with precision by either camp.

For Wiper, winning the seat meant a clean rubber stamp for Kalonzo’s endorsement as the united opposition’s presidential flag bearer, while losing the same, so the message was packaged, meant Kalonzo would be viewed as a weak candidate who cannot command his political backyard.

As for the Maendeleo Chap Chap troops led by Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua and MPs Mwengi Mutuse (Kibwezi West) and Caleb Mule (Machakos Town), the seat was theirs to defend, considering the late MCA, Gideon Kavuu, was elected on the party’s ticket. Maendeleo Chap Chap’s biggest headache in the campaign was convincing the ordinary voter on the street that President William Ruto was far much better than Kalonzo. It was not an easy job.

According to observers, Kisoi’s resounding victory in the mini poll has not only saved Kalonzo’s face in the united opposition but will also turn a new page in Ukambani’s political discourse. “This by-election will serve as the reference point of Ukambani politics. The people of Mumbuni North have spoken loud and clear. Kalonzo is the boss here, and he can proceed with national politics as we take care of his interests back home,” former Machakos Town MP Victor Munyaka told The Standard.

Dr Munyaka, who was Kisoi’s chief campaigner, hailed Mumbuni North Ward voters for standing for the truth in the wake of heightened political propaganda. “The people of Mumbuni North have proved to be wise. The numbers we have secured in this by-election are a clear indicator of an electorate that rose above propaganda and political manipulation,” said the former legislator.

However, a local voter who supported the Maendeleo Chap Chap candidate termed Wiper’s win as a “too expensive” affair. “There is nothing for Kalonzo to brag about in that victory. The amount of effort, money, and political mobilisation that went into that by-election paints a picture of weakness and desperation,” said Jackson Mutua.