UoN lecturer eyes Jubilee ticket for Lake View MCA race
University of Nairobi lecturer Moses Kuria, who wants to vie for the Lake View Ward Representative seat on a Jubilee Party ticket.
What you need to know:
- The University of Nairobi lecturer wants to vie under a split Jubilee Party, a favourite among candidates, with at least five going for the ticket.
- Mr Kuria’s entry into the race has altered the matrix that evolved around political titans Moses Wanyoike Wanango and Mathew George Njoroge Mathu.
University don Moses Kuria is among the more than 10 candidates eyeing the vacant Lake View MCA seat.
The University of Nairobi lecturer wants to vie under a split Jubilee Party, a favourite among candidates, with at least five going for the ticket.
Mr Kuria’s entry into the race has altered the matrix that evolved around political titans Moses Wanyoike Wanango and Mathew George Njoroge Mathu.
The two politically experienced contenders are perceived as frontrunners in the race that has attracted youthful candidates eager to seize the moment.
“I have done my homework well so I am sure I will carry the day come the Jubilee Party nominations,” said the lecturer popularly known as MK.
The entrant is not new to political battles - he vied for the Embakasi West seat in 2017 and lost, but his impressive performance was a shot in the arm for the elections.
“I decided to vie for a lesser seat to relaunch my political career,” he said.
High stakes
The seat fell vacant following MCA Karanja Mburu’s death in a tragic road accident.
With at least 18,000 registered voters, stakes are high, with some of the aspiring contestants using the online platform to popularise their candidature due to the Covid-19 restrictions.
With social gatherings outlawed by the government in an effort to curb the spread of the disease, technology has been the place for sword fights among the candidates.
Mr Wanango says the feel has been different as they are used to addressing crowds and using turnouts to easily gauge their popularity.
“All those eyeing the seat were forced to adopt different campaign strategies to woo voters. It has been, and will continue to be, a contest for the technologically savvy,” he said.
Having clinched the seat twice, Mr Wanango has increased his online presence as he attempts to reach out to his supporters.
He lost by less than 100 votes in the 2017 vote for the Jubilee ticket and kept a low profile but remains upbeat about his chances.
Other candidates
Seasoned politician and successful businessman Mathew George Njoroge Mathu is also in the ring and is raring to go.
Credited with several development projects, the Jubilee faithful is trying again after losing narrowly in the previous contests.
“I am engaging the electorate using WhatsApp and Facebook,” he said.
Newcomer Isaac Makori, who was hoping to clinch the Kanu ticket, was forced to shop for another outfit as the party opted out of the race due to its working relationship with Jubilee.
“I might go independent,” he said.
Another strong contender is Reuben Gitau, who was the late MCA’s personal assistant.
He has been actively wooing voters and hopes to capitalise on the popularity that his boss enjoyed.
Unlike his departed friend and close confidant, he is not vying for the seat on a Jubilee ticket.
Others in the race are Patrick Aberi and Pius Onyangore Miyienda, popularly known as Zakayo.
