From riches to rags: Ex-MCA grapples with life after office
Mr Joseph Ndung’u. He is the former Ward Representative of Ichagaki in Murang'a County. He says he will not seek an elective seat again. PHOTO | NDUNG'U GACHANE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Mr Ndung’u explains that he fell into depression after spending Sh1.2 million on campaigns only to lose in the polls.
- Mr Ndung’u said during the first term, an MCA could earn about Sh500,000 a month but use most of it on his constituents and funding the lifestyle of a ‘mheshimiwa’.
In his heyday as a county legislator in Murang’a, former Ichagaki Ward Representative Joseph Ndung’u was a man of means and power.
But his fortunes dwindled sharply immediately he lost his seat in the 2017 elections.
Mr Ndung’u’s phone no longer rings as frequently as it used to. And now he has opened up on the tribulations he underwent after failing to reclaim the seat, forcing him to apply for a driver’s job at the county assembly.
He explains that he fell into depression after spending Sh1.2 million on campaigns only to lose in the polls.
After the huge investment trying to defend his political seat, he was left with a parcel of land and an unfinished building, which he also contemplated selling to sustain his life and that of his young family.
He sold his electronics shop in Nairobi’s Luthuli Avenue to get into the murky world of politics in 2013 and often assisted residents of his ward financially, leaving him with nothing at the end of his term.
REGRET
In an exclusive interview with the Nation, Mr Ndung’u said his wife and father helped him overcome depression.
His father advised him to find work away from Murang’a to avoid ridicule and humiliation from the public.
“I felt as if it was the end of the world. I had used Sh1.2 million for campaigns, sold my electronics shop in Maragua Town, which I had reopened after selling the main one in Nairobi, and my only wealth was an undeveloped plot. My wife and my father urged me to accept my new status and that’s how I was employed as a storekeeper in Nairobi, thanks to one of my former colleagues,” he told the Nation.
He adds: “I’d worked for the people relentlessly, but they voted me out. I’ll never again seek any elective post because one can be deceived by voters with fake promises. Had I not joined politics, my business would be thriving but I have learnt a lesson,” he said.
NEW CHAPTER
The former MCA says the idea of working at the assembly occurred to him when he saw an advert in the newspaper announcing three vacancies for a driver’s position.
This, he believes, will be a good start for the next chapter of his life. “I don’t mind what people will say about me even when required to drive the MCAs,” he said.
Mr Ndung’u said during the first term, an MCA could earn about Sh500,000 a month but use most of it on his constituents and funding the lifestyle of a ‘mheshimiwa’.
He took a diploma course in community services but has searched for a job to no avail.
