COUNTY POLITICS: Scheme for 2022 elections spices up race for Meru governor seat

Meru will be one of the most-watched counties during the August 8 election and beyond for two main reasons.

First, Senator Kiraitu Murungi, who was king maker in the 2013 gubernatorial contest, is now going for the throne himself against an equally popular and determined incumbent, Mr Peter Munya.

Second, the county, together with neighbouring Tharaka-Nithi, is a key pillar in Deputy President William Ruto’s presidential game plan for 2022.

The DP has been a regular visitor to the region and many politicians in Meru, incumbents and aspirants alike, are in his camp.

In Tharaka-Nithi, Senator Kithure Kindiki has been one of Mr Ruto’s most loyal followers and has even been touted as a possible running mate in 2022.

TOOK OVER PNU

Prof Kindiki was in the DP’s legal team during his trial for crimes against humanity at The Hague from the 2007 post-election violence.

Standing in the way of the march to power by this alliance, however, is Mr Munya.

After his fallout with Mr Murungi, the governor took over the Party of National Unity (PNU), on whose ticket he will defend the seat and then, he says, run for the presidency in 2022.

For the August elections, PNU, President Mwai Kibaki’s party in his second term, supports Uhuru Kenyatta’s re-election. But while the President’s Jubilee Party camp is keen to get this support, Mr Ruto’s allies, National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale and Mr Murungi, have disowned Mr Munya and his outfit.

It is for these reasons that the gubernatorial race in Meru is being fiercely contested with Mr Munya, also chair of the Council of Governors, being put under pressure at the county and national levels.
Use of the billions.

ABANDONING MANIFESTO

At the county level, Mr Munya’s opponents have taken him on over the use of billions of shillings allocated to the devolved government since 2013.

Also, Mr Murungi, who likes to take credit for Mr Munya’s 2013 election victory, now accuses him of abandoning the manifesto of their Alliance Party of Kenya (APK), popularly known as “mbus”.

And in a bid to oust him, Mr Murungi dissolved APK and joined Jubilee, where he is an influential member. Mr Munya reacted by taking over PNU.

This has set the stage for battle royale in the Meru gubernatorial race with the two allies-turned-rivals seen as the frontrunners.

Former assistant minister and Tigania West Member of Parliament, Dr Kilemi Mwiria, who gave Mr Munya a run for his money in the last polls, is also in the race on a Maendeleo Chap Chap ticket.

When the Nation toured Meru to assess the impact of the devolution cash, Mr Munya insisted that he has a track record that has surpassed expectations. To help deliver on his 2013 pledges, Mr Munya has created institutions through Acts of the County Assembly to enhance efficiency in service delivery, he said.

IDENTIFY INVESTMENT
These are the Meru County Investment Development Corporation, Meru County Revenue Board and Meru County Micro-Finance Corporation.

The three entities operate like parastatals and are managed by chief executive officers appointed by the governor.

“The development and investment corporation is mandated to identify investment and development areas while the revenue board is working on enhanced local revenue collection and we have seen huge improvement since we came up with the idea,” said Mr Munya, arguing that the idea behind the Micro-Finance Corporation is to eventually come up with a county bank.

“The corporation is targeting the kadogo (micro) economy by lending to small-scale traders like mama mboga to enhance their businesses,” said Mr Munya. “It is doing well so far.”

The county is also setting up a petrol station, where all county vehicles will be fuelled. The station would be open to the public as well.

FOUR-STAR HOTEL
“This is an idea we have come up with to ensure we deal with the problem of mismanagement of fuel,” said Mr Munya.

The county also aims at owning a four-star hotel, which will be leased to an investor.

“We are refurbishing Meru County Hotel, which had collapsed,” said the governor. “Once it is fully improved, all county meetings will be done there and the facility will be leased to a competent bidder to run.”

Mr Munya also said his government is investing heavily in water infrastructure to ensure shortages are dealt with.

And, counting his achievements, Mr Munya added that he has launched an effective early childhood development programme. Each ward has had three classrooms constructed to facilitate early childhood education with 1,000 ECDE (nursery school) teachers employed and another 200 expected to be hired within the year.

Mr Munya is also counting on successful agricultural programmes that have boosted food security in the area with high milk production and successful fruit farming. Meru, Mr Munya says, is now a leading producer of bananas and milk after employing new technologies.

IMPORTED SEMEN

“We imported semen from Brazil which we have made available to farmers at Sh3,000, down from Sh7,000,” he said explaining why local milk production has hit record levels.

But Mr Murungi dismissed the governor’s record, arguing that he veered off the manifesto developed by APK and became a lone ranger.

“When we came together to form APK and supported Mr Munya for governor, we had a manifesto which he has not implemented,” said Mr Murungi. “Of course we know he has always wanted to talk about the construction of Kinoru Stadium but this is a scandal and the construction has lived in controversy since inception despite millions being paid out.”

He also blamed Mr Munya for failing to end the water crisis in the area, which he argued was at the top of the APK manifesto.

Mr Murungi said his track record when he was a Cabinet minister speaks for itself.

DUSTY TOWN

“We have done a lot for Meru,” he said. “For example, Nkubu Town, previously a dusty town, has emerged as a developed part of Meru. We did a lot in Imenti South, which demonstrates my ability to serve the people.”

His Kikali group has also drawn a line-up for all the seats in the county, including Members of Parliament and Members of the County Assembly (MCAs).

In Mr Munya’s camp, some of his ministers are vying for MP.

County Secretary Julius Kimathi said he will vie for the Imenti Central seat, held by Mr Gideon Mwiti Irea, on a PNU ticket while Trade Executive Ntoitha M’Mithiaru is eyeing Mr Joseph M’Eruaki M’Uthari’s Igembe North seat, also via PNU.

“I have been successful as County Secretary,” said Mr Kimathi. “We have done our best and I believe we can do even better in other positions.”

Another gubernatorial aspirant, Mwiria, beat Dr Kiambi Atheru to the Maendeleo Chap Chap ticket, forcing his fellow scholar to vie as an independent candidate. Dr Mwiria managed an impressive performace in the 2013 on a TNA ticket.

SPLIT VOTES

Dr Mwiria, like Munya, hails from Tigania and the two are likely to split the votes — something that could give Mr Murungi an advantage. Both Mr Munya and Mr Murungi have been criss-crossing Meru in choppers in what is seen as a show of might as they seek votes.

Dr Atheru, a development and governance expert, is a first-timer in politics. He says his core agenda, if elected, will be agriculture, which he says has the potential to spur the development of all other sectors.
He believes that if enough resources were put into agriculture it would have a ripple effect on water, roads and infrastructure, processing and power sectors.

Former Kenya Air Force soldier Mwenda Mbijiwe, now a renowned security analyst, is also in the race.

Mr Mbijiwe, who joined politics in 2012 when he vied for  Buuri Constituency seat, ditched Jubilee and is yet to announce a new party. His focus is on improving agriculture and agro-processing, security and opening up markets for farm produce.

TOP PRIORITIES

Also in the race is Nairobi-based marketer Shadrack Kirori, who has pledged to revive the county’s economy if elected. Mr Kirori has said he will run on a Democratic Party (DP) ticket.

Ms Winnie Kaburu, who was Prof James ole Kiyiapi’s presidential running mate in 2013, will vie on a Wiper ticket as the only female aspirant. Ms Kaburu says she is the only one who can unite the Meru people following the wrangles pitting current leaders.

Buuri MP Kinoti Gatobu is an independent aspirant and among his top priorities is improvement of education standards.

By vying on the ODM ticket, she hopes to exploit some growing discontent against the ruling Jubilee coalition.