Kiraitu governorship rival shuns campaign billboards

Elections are always a harvest season for outdoor advertisers, with politicians jostling for space on strategically located billboards to put their message out.

In Meru, political banners, posters and signboards have also littered every space, including electricity poles in towns and markets as politicians fight to increase their visibility.

Advertisers charge more than Sh100,000 per month for a billboard, depending on size and location, with some politicians booking strategic sites for more than three months ahead of the election.

The images of Meru Governor Kiraitu Murungi and his rival Senator Mithika Linturi are prominently placed on strategic billboards in Meru, Nkubu and Maua towns, as well as other locations in the county.

But conspicuously missing from the prominent billboards and posters is Meru woman representative Kawira Mwangaza, who is considered a front-runner in the race.

Of the Sh60.3 billion in total advertising expenditure in the first half of 2021, some Sh1.7 billion was spent on out-of-home advertising, said the State of Media in Advertising Spends report from the International School of Advertising and ReelAnalytics.

There are about 2,166 billboard sites in Kenya, with Nairobi accounting for 54 per cent of them.

Ms Mwangaza, an independent candidate, has only one banner in Meru town, placed on a building where she once operated a hardware shop.

Speaking to the Nation, Ms Mwangaza said she chose to spend money meant for outdoor advertising and printing campaign materials on buying dairy cows for the poor.

“One day, my family and I prayed about the advertisement strategy and God gave me a vision – that the resources and money intended for posters and billboards be spent on buying a dairy cow per poor family. It also helps in keeping the environment clean,” she said.

But Ms Mwangaza has the advantage of Baite TV, one of the most popular local stations, which airs her programmes and campaigns without limitations.

She said this initiative would be part of her agenda to eradicate poverty if elected governor.

“So far, I have given out hundreds of dairy cows to the poor across the county,” she said.

Ms Mwangaza said she intends to give 50,000 dairy cows in the first one year of her administration if elected.

“This will be made possible through budgetary allocation from the county government and donations from my salary as I have been doing as woman representative,” she added.

Ms Mwangaza has also pledged to provide free lunch to all primary schools, besides employing a tailor in every primary school to make uniforms for pupils who cannot afford them.

The three contestants in the Meru governorship race have heightened their campaigns as each seeks to outsmart the other in the hunt for votes.

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