Tracing Rahim Dawood's political life

North Imenti MP Rahim Dawood is welcomed to the Mulathankari home for the elderly for a meeting on August 3, 2017. Being of Indian descent, Mr Dawood weathered racial bias to win re-election. PHOTO | PHOEBE OKALL | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Mr Dawood joined politics in 2006 leading to his election as Meru town’s Commercial Ward councillor in 2007.
  • Mr Dawood was born in Laare, Igembe North, where his parents owned a business.

For Rahim Dawood, it was a narrow victory against a re-energised rival Mr Silas Muriuki, the man he trounced in 2013 to become the first MP of Asian descent in North Imenti, Meru County, and the larger Mount Kenya region.

In the August 8 polls, Mr Dawood got 29,042 votes against Mr Muriuki’s 28,894 in an exercise whose results so delayed that supporters confronted police outside the constituency tallying centre for hours.

TERM LIMIT

Mr Dawood said the reason for the delay was that his opponent had contested the results before they were announced, arguing that some polling stations were not included.

“I urge my opponents to join me in working towards a better North Imenti.

"One of the legislations I intend to propose in Parliament is that all elected leaders should not hold office for more than two terms.

"This will ensure change and progress,” Mr Dawood said after being declared winner.

INSULTS
Being of Indian descent, Mr Dawood weathered racial bias to trounce Mr Muriuki.

Even in 2013, the contest was tight but Mr Dawood won with 26,871 votes against Mr Muriuki’s 24,185.

Mr Dawood joined politics in 2006 leading to his election as Meru town’s Commercial Ward councillor in 2007.

He said political opponents sabotaged his projects during his term as councillor, forcing him to vie for the parliamentary seat in 2013.

FALL OUT
The philanthropist joined the PNU Alliance party before defecting to TNA where he was bundled out in favour of Mr Muriuki, then the incumbent.

He then joined the Alliance Party of Kenya on whose ticket he was first elected to parliament.

Despite being in the same party with former Governor Peter Munya, they fell out over how the county government was running Meru town affairs.

He led several demonstrations against the county government.

SCHOOLING

Mr Dawood was born in Laare, Igembe North, where his parents owned a business.

He attended Meru Primary School in Meru town until 1973 when he joined Aga Khan Academy in Nairobi for the O-levels and A-levels.

He then went to Britain, where his parents lived, and studied mathematics, statistics and computer science.

He returned to Meru and took over his family’s business in 1986.

His parents were among the Asians who settled in various parts of Meru in the early 1900s to engage in business.