Wamuchomba floors Anna Nyokabi in woman rep chase

Kameme FM presenter Gathoni Wamuchomba. She won the Kiambu woman rep Jubilee ticket. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The radio presenter was born and brought up at Komothai village in Githunguri, Kiambu.
  • After completing high school she joined the University of Nairobi for a bachelor’s degree in education.

When radio journalist Gathoni Wamuchomba declared her interest for the Kiambu Woman Representative seat few people took her seriously.

Most people dismissed her candidature, saying she was destined to fail considering that the incumbent is Anna Nyokabi, President Uhuru Kenyatta’s relative.

In 2007, she unsuccessfully battled for the Maragwa parliamentary seat in Murang’a County where she was also facing another ‘aristocrat’.

BORN IN KIAMBU
In fact, her opponents who were treating her as a non-starter peddled propaganda that she was an outsider and a failure because 10 years before, she had sought an elective post in another county.

But unknown to her detractors, Ms Wamuchomba, who is renowned for her Muiguithania show that airs on Kameme FM every Saturday morning, had gone back to her roots.

The radio presenter, who has won the hearts of her audience, was born and brought up at Komothai village in Githunguri, Kiambu, before her family moved to Murang’a.

HARD WORK
Ms Wamuchomba teamed up with Kabete MP Ferdinand Waititu who was seeking the governor’s ticket and embarked on a spirited campaign.

She is now savouring the fruits of hard work.

During the primaries that were held on Tuesday, Ms Wamuchomba garnered 404,290 votes to hand Ms Nyokabi, who managed a miserable 28,874 votes, an embarrassing defeat.

“I am very happy and grateful to the people of Kiambu for the overwhelming support they have given me.

"I will reward them with hard work, and I promise them that when I assume office, they will see changes,” she said today, adding that the victory will help her take her community work a notch higher.

BRIGHT STUDENT
In a past media interview, the radio personality narrated her humble upbringing in a huge family with an irresponsible father who hardly took care of his family.

She was, however, a bright student and emerged top in her KCPE at the district level after which she proceeded to Precious Blood Riruta for her secondary school.

She almost dropped out of high school but a Good Samaritan from Japan, who was working as a volunteer teacher at Komothai Girls School where her mother was a casual labourer, offered to pay her fees until she completed her secondary school.

MEDIA CAREER
After completing high school she joined the University of Nairobi for a bachelor’s degree in education.

It was there that her lecturer offered her an opportunity to do an agriculture programme that was aired on KBC, launching her career in the media.

She later secured job as a presenter at Kameme FM and later moved to Inooro FM then to Bahasha FM.

She then made a comeback at Kameme FM which is associated with President Uhuru Kenyatta.

She later returned to the University of Nairobi’s School of Journalism for masters in communication.

Ms Wamuchomba - popularly known as Wamother - is married to Mr Robert Mbugua.