Mwangi wa Iria names his running mate

Alfayo Onyambu

Alfayo Onyambu who has been picked by Usawa Kwa Wote party's Mwangi wa Iria as his running mate. 

Murang’s governor and presidential hopeful Mwangi wa Iria has picked Alfayo Onyambu as his running mate ahead of the August polls.

Mr Wa Iria said he is confident that Mr Onyambu would make a significant impact in the August 9 General Election.

Mr Onyambu contested Kisii County senatorial seat in 2017 and lost in the Jubilee party primaries.

"In conformity with the electoral law that demands that all presidential aspirants announce their running mates before Monday midnight, I have since settled on Mr Onyambu and who I strongly believe will help Usawa Kwa Wote party compete and clinch power," Mr Wa Iria said.

Mr Wa Iria said he expected President Uhuru Kenyatta to embrace him for the love of Mt Kenya.

"Many have been saying that Mt Kenya does not have a serious presidential candidate. Yet, I am here and I have remained steadfast in insisting that my candidature is not a comedy. The president should have left the community and Mt Kenya in my hands," the two-term Murang’a governor said.

In a function to sanction a coffee milling plant in the outskirts of Maragua Town, Mr Wa Iria had said “I’m in this race to prove to all that our right as a community to contest the presidency cannot be taken away.”

He said he will be comfortable with the community's ballot verdict on August 9 “and even if you fail to endorse me, I will go into history as a leader who attempted to take care of your interests.”

Currently, Mt Kenya region appear torn between two political formations - Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition party and Kenya Kwanza Alliance. The former is being pushed by President Kenyatta through Jubilee Party and where their presidential candidate is Mr Raila Odinga while the latter has Dr William Ruto as the presidential candidate.

Mr Wa Iria said “I pity my own community since it is quick to buy the narrative that the country is not ready for another Mt Kenya led government."

The governor said his motive for contesting is to defeat the lie that “the Agikuyu community are tired of being associated with the presidency as well as preserve the culture and reputation of the community of contesting the top seat in all elections held so far in the country.”

He said he is sure of what he is up to and will surprise many by emerging the winner.

He said his agenda will be to transform the economic front of the country by laying emphasis on family unit to host transformational leadership.

"I will give each vulnerable family a dairy cow and go for those policies that deliberately puts money in the pocket of the lowest placed person. I will liberalise the field of economic opportunities to ensure that all get a stake of the national cake. My leadership, just like the way it has been in Murang'a, will deliberately work for the forgotten many in the grassroots," he said.

Mr Wa Iria reminded Kenyans that he us serious in the sense that "of all Central region governors who were elected in 2013, it is only myself who won a second term." In Mt Kenya region, he was among the only two (alongside Embu's Martin Wambora) who were re-elected.

"At Usawa party, we are fighting for a better, fairer and brighter future for every Kenyan rolling up our sleeves empowering grassroots voters, and organizing everywhere to build a winning team,” he said.

To make a significant head start in the presidential race, Mr Wa Iria has to first convince Murang'a County’s 600,000 voters to back him. However, the has to contest the votes against the Azimio la Umoja and Kenya Kwanza brigades with political pundits opining that it is already a tall order for him to outfox the two formations.

His main ally, Habire Chege, who is a nominated MCA, said Wa Iria can be cited to have done something for the Murang’a people in his two terms rule “which include revival of dairy, avocado, coffee, Early Childhood Development and health sectors.”