Four in tough battle to fill Tharaka Nithi Senator Kithure Kindiki’s ‘big shoes’
Former Tharaka-Nithi governor Samwel Ragwa is vying for the senatorial seat as an independent candidate. Mukothima ward representative Julius Mwenda Gataya (right) is vying on a UDA party ticket.
Four contenders are battling to succeed Tharaka Nithi Senator Kithure Kindiki who is not seeking re-election.
The two-term senator is not seeking any elective position after announcing a break from active politics following his loss in the fierce fight for the Kenya Kwanza Alliance presidential running mate position that went to Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua.
The four candidates are former governor Samuel Ragwa, who is running as an independent candidate, Mr Paul Mugambi (Jubilee Party), Mr Kirimi Muturi (Party for Peace and Development) and Mr Mwenda Gataya of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
Prof Kindiki had initially announced interest in dethroning Governor Muthomi Njuki and endorsed Mr Ragwa for the Senate seat before Deputy President William Ruto asked him to shelve his ambitions and join him in national politics.
The senator, who is DP Ruto’s chief agent in the August 9 polls, is drumming up support for Mr Gataya, calling for a six-piece voting pattern in favour of UDA candidates.
“We have to elect all candidates under UDA party so that DP Ruto cannot change his mind on the promise of endorsing me for the presidency after his two terms,” Prof Kindiki said at a recent meeting in Marimanti town.
His endorsement of UDA candidates has, however, faced serious challenges from his disappointed supporters, who feel betrayed by DP Ruto over his flopped governorship and running mate bids.
Tharaka-Nithi County, which has 231,932 registered voters, according to the 2022 Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) register, has three constituencies: Tharaka (74,010 voters), Chuka/Igambang’ombe (84,678) and Maara (73,248).
The battle mainly revolves around the person who will fill the ‘big shoes’ left by Prof Kindiki, a prominent lawyer and university don, who served as Senate majority leader in his first term and deputy Speaker for most of his second term.
Debating prowess
The large number of bills Prof Kindiki sponsored in the Senate and his debating prowess on the floor have also raised the bar higher for those eyeing the seat.
Mr Mugambi and Mr Muturi, who are lawyers, argue that Prof Kindiki was able to shine in the Senate because he is conversant with the law and that they are best-placed to succeed him.
“Prof Kindiki set the bar too high and I’m the only [one] who can match him because I’m a legal professional, a journalist and have worked in Parliament as a communication officer for several years,” Mr Mugambi said in a recent meeting in Chuka town.
Mr Ragwa states that, having served as governor, he understands the challenges facing devolved governments and that his main agenda in the Senate will be lobbying for more funding.
The Senate candidate also plans to crusade “early disbursements so that governors [are] able to implement budgets”, he said at Chogoria market recently.
The county, Mr Ragwa adds, had not achieved major developments because of disunity.
If elected, he said, he will make sure that all elected leaders work together.
Mr Gataya, who served in the National Police Service before joining politics, is a two-term Mukothima ward representative.
He argues that he acquired enough experience in parliamentary proceedings during his tenure as a county assembly member.
Mr Gataya further says that, Senate needs a person who is brave and authoritative.
“I’ll not be a stranger in the Senate because I’ve already acquired enough experience in the county assembly,” Mr Gataya said in Rubate last week.
Regional balance is another key factor in the senatorial contest, with both UDA and Jubilee, which command a huge following in the county, sharing gubernatorial, senatorial and woman representative positions among the three constituencies.
Mr Mugambi and Mr Gataya come from Tharaka constituency, Mr Ragwa from Maara constituency and Mr Muturi from Chuka/Igambang’ombe.
The candidates are also banking on their constituency support although Mr Mugambi seems to enjoy a huge support from the youth across the county.
Prof Kindiki and Mr Njuki, the county’s political bigwigs, are campaigning for Mr Gataya because of the party factor.
Former Chuka University Vice-Chancellor Erastus Njoka and other Jubilee politicians are drumming up support for Mr Mugambi,a political débutante.
Ability to deliver
Mr Lawrence Kithaka, a resident of Marimanti ward in Tharaka constituency, argues that although UDA enjoys a huge following in the county due to the DP Ruto factor, residents will mainly vote candidates based on their ability to deliver.
He says the region is known for voting leaders based on their party affiliations only to get little development.
“We will vote the leaders based on their ability to deliver and not to please DP Ruto or any other person,” Mr Kithaka said.
Ms Mary Gatiiria, a resident of Chogoria ward in Maara constituency, also believes that parties have nothing to do with development but individual abilities.
TOMORROW: Othaya parliamentary seat, where former President Mwai Kibaki’s shadow looms large
