Woman newcomer who beat six opponents to win Mwea MP seat
Mwea MP-elect Mary Maingi of UDA.She polled 50,667 votes.
She is a newcomer in politics, but she surprised many when she was elected MP in Tuesday’s polls.
The soft-spoken Mary Maingi of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) was declared winner after trouncing six opponents, becoming the first female MP of Mwea since independence.
The vanquished included the incumbent political giant Kabinga Wathayu of Jubilee.
"I'm excited to emerge as the first MP of the largest constituency in Kirinyaga County. Residents are embracing women leadership in a big way," she said.
Ms Maingi beat all odds to win in the male-dominated race.
She garnered 50,667 votes against her closest rival, Mr Wathayu, who received 31,735.
Ms Maingi is a dynamic entrepreneur who has run a successful insurance brokerage firm for the past 15 years as a founding managing director.
Maingi was recognised as a high achiever in her work with her brokerage firm, HP Insurance Brokers Limited.
She was unit manager at AAR Health Services before establishing her own company.
She started getting involved in development activities in the area long before campaigns started.
She interacted with residents, earning her the accolade “woman of the people”.
When she announced that she was in the parliamentary race, her name sold quickly.
She also rode on the popularity of Deputy President William Ruto's UDA after she was given a direct nomination.
"Having been involved in the development agenda of Mwea people way before venturing into politics, I worked for positive change in the area,” she said.
“That way residents accepted me and when I asked them to give me votes, they agreed. Through the support of the Mwea people, I achieved my ambitions."
Ms Maingi promised to work even harder to deliver quality services to residents who braved chilly weather to cast their vote for her.
She holds a master’s degree in business administration and a bachelor’s in commerce, both from Catholic University of Eastern Africa.
