Ex-minister Amos Kimunya declares bid for Parliament

Former Finance minister Amos Kimunya (2nd left, front row) during a meeting convened by Nyandarua Deputy Governor Waithaka Kirika at Manunga Catholic Hall in Miharati on December 14, 2017. Mr Kimunya said he will vie for the Kipipiri parliamentary seat in the August elections. PHOTO | JOHN GITHINJI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Mr Kimunya has vowed to recapture his seat on a Jubilee ticket.
  • He said that he is now ready to take up the mantle and help steer meaningful development in the area.
  • He revealed that there have been calls for him to vie for governor.
  • Mr Kimunya said his knowledge and experience should help him have impact in the elections.

After five years of maintaining a low profile, former Finance minister Amos Kimunya is set to make a comeback in politics after declaring that he will vie for the Kipipiri Constituency seat in the August elections.

In 2013, Mr Kimunya contested the same seat but lost to Samuel Kamunye Gichigi of the Alliance Party of Kenya (APK).

Speaking at Manunga Catholic hall in Kipipiri on Saturday, Mr Kimunya vowed to recapture his seat on a Jubilee ticket.

“There have been rumours that I’m supporting [the] Party of National Unity. I’ve contacted Meru Governor Peter Munya to tell him to remove my name from their website. He has promised to do so,” noted Mr Kimunya who was once the PNU secretary-general.

Mr Kimunya said that he is now ready to take up the mantle and help steer meaningful development in the area.

He revealed that Kipipiri constituents and local leaders have been urging him to go for the Nyandarua gubernatorial seat in the coming elections.

PUSH TO VIE FOR GOVERNOR

“My supporters have been pushing me to go for the Nyandarua gubernatorial seat and it has taken me a lot of consultations and considerations to make up my mind,” said Mr Kimunya.

“However, I have decided to settle down for the parliamentary seat which I believe I am in a better place to clinch,” he added.

The former Minister who is now pursuing a doctorate in Business Administration at United States International University (USIU) and is set to graduate in 2018, said he will now have to create a balance between his education and campaigns.

Mr Kimunya said he is optimistic that the knowledge and experience he has acquired when he was away from the public limelight will help him create impact in terms of development.

He will now square it out with the incumbent MP, Mr Gichigi, radio Journalist Wanjiku Njuguna and businessman Njenga Kamau.

Independent Policing Oversight Authority chairman Macharia Njeru is also rumoured to be in the race for the seat though he is yet to publicly declare his interest.