Francisca Kamuren braving the tides in Nakuru Town West parliamentary race
Ms Francisca Kamuren who is eyeing the Nakuru Town West parliamentary seat on the UDA ticket.
Ahead of the party primaries next month, Ms Francisca Kamuren is branding herself as "the Lioness of Nakuru Town West"
'If the party primaries are held free and fair, bring it on, I am ready, " said Ms Kamuren.
Ms Kamuren is not a newcomer to Nakuru Town West politics. She will be making her second stab after putting up a gallant fight in the male-dominated Jubilee nominations in the 2017 party primaries.
She finished second to eventual winner Samuel Arama who also clinched the parliamentary seat.
She blamed her loss in the Jubilee primaries on "poor management of the nomination process."
She claimed that many women candidates lose at the party nominations because they are not able to play the dirty political games that have been perfected by their male counterparts.
"The Jubilee Party 2017 nominations in Nakuru Town West were shambolic and that's why I lost," said Ms Kamuren.
"My vision is to lead the people of Nakuru Town West and bring about change," Ms Kamuren said at Kaptembwa Ward.
Yearning for change
She added: "The residents of Nakuru Town West are yearning for change. The incumbent has been in office for a decade. Whether he has performed and delivered the wishes of the residents is debatable but 10 years is enough. Even President Uhuru Kenyatta is soon leaving office after 10 years. The incumbent should borrow a leaf from President Kenyatta and call it a day and allow fresh leadership to take the mantle. "
She said a good leader should not stay in power for more than 10 years.
“No miracle can happen after 10 years. That's one reason that the residents of Nakuru Town West want a change of guard. "
She claimed that even after losing the party primaries and conceding defeat, she never abandoned her people.
"The voters understand my aspirations, they are ready for a leadership change and I believe it's time to test the woman leadership," she said.
Just like in 2017, she will be the only woman aspirant and hopes this time around she will carry the day when the United Democratic Alliance Party (UDA) primaries are held next month.
However, she expressed her fears ahead of the UDA party primaries saying," from the previous experience in 2017, I have all reasons to be worried. Parties have not been serious when it comes to the management of the party primaries.”
Fair nominations
She prayed that the UDA party would hold free and fair nominations.
But it will not be a walk in the park for Ms Kamuren in the UDA primaries as she faces a tough contest against seasoned politicians who include former Nakuru Town deputy mayor Mwangi Kariko, Paul Mwangi, Mr Richard Obino and long serving Shabab Ward MCA Kamau Githengi.
Ms Kamuren had been a lecturer at Kabarak University, St Paul's University, Masinde Muliro University, and Egerton University.
She said being the sole woman aspirant does not bother her and she sees it as an advantage to win in the UDA primaries and during the August 9 polls.
"There is a wind of change blowing across the country. People are yearning for a change to women leadership because those who have been elected to various political, public and private offices have proved their worth," she said.
Ms Kamuren has been crisscrossing London, Shabab, Kapkures, Barut, Kwa Rhonda and Kaptembwo wards preaching a peaceful election.
Nakuru Town West constituency has more than 100,000 registered voters and the battleground will be the densely populated Kaptembwo Ward which has more than 34,000 registered voters.
"Nakuru Town West is a rainbow constituency made up of 43 communities, it needs a leader who will stamp out political bigotry," she said.
She noted that one of the development issues top on her agenda is uplifting education standards.
Underrepresentation
"We have wards like Shabab, Kwa Rhonda, Kapkures and Kaptembwo which have one public secondary school while London and Barut have two secondary schools each. That is a serious underrepresentation owing to the rising population. The government's brilliant idea of 100 per cent transition will not be possible with this kind of upside-down priority," she said.
"Apart from attractive perimeter walls, most primary and secondary schools in the constituency are dilapidated. Our children need to learn in conducive environments," she said.
She also hopes to tackle insecurity. The constituency is home to criminal gangs popularly known as 'confirm'.
Youth unemployment, women empowerment, issues affecting the disabled and infrastructure are also top on her wish list.
"Kaptembwo and London have good infrastructure courtesy of the World Bank Project. However, areas like Kwa Rhonda have spatial tarmac cover while Kapkures and Barut wards have never seen a kilometre of tarmac," she said.
She hopes to make Nakuru Town West an industrial hub by reviving the struggling Pyrethrum Processing Company of Kenya (PPCK) which was the pride of Nakuru County earning the country over Sh10 billion in foreign exchange annually in the 1980s.
"It bothers me that the once vibrant Nakuru Industrial hub is dead. I will work with the national government to attract investors," said Ms Kamuren.
Self-employment
While health and water are devolved functions, she will strive to work with the devolved unit to make sure existing facilities are improved to serve the residents as it is their constitutional right to clean water and better health.
Ms Kamuren who is a former director of Rift Valley Water Works Development Agency said she will also ensure the high land rates paid by residents of Kwa Rhonda and Kaptembwo are reviewed downwards.
She said the constituency has one polytechnic situated in the Barut ward which is not serving the youth.
"I will follow up with the devolved unit to relocate it at a central location so that it can serve its purpose of equipping the youth with skills to start self-employment ventures," she noted.
Drug abuse and alcoholism is another challenge in the area and Ms Kamuren plans to start a public rehabilitation centre.
She also plans to address the issue of the hundreds of residents who were displaced by the rising waters of Lake Nakuru in the Mwariki area and end the human-wildlife conflict which has seen wildlife from Lake Nakuru National park destroy crops and injure residents.
The runaway gender-based violence in the constituency is another issue she plans to address.
Ms Kamuren comes from a political family. Her uncles Willy Kamuren and Michael Rotich were Baringo North MP and Nakuru Town mayor respectively. She hopes to follow in their political footsteps.
