In race against three women, Joseph Ndathi fears ‘the gender card’

In the 2017 General Election, former Kirinyaga Governor Joseph Ndathi’s re-election campaign was overwhelmed by the fierce political battle pitting current Governor Anne Waiguru and National Rainbow Coalition Kenya (Narc Kenya) party leader Martha Karua.

Mr Ndathi and Ms Karua both ended up losing to Ms Waiguru in the hotly contested elections.

The former county boss, who is seeking to recapture the seat in the 2022 polls, now faces an even daunting task as he will be squaring it out with three powerful female politicians.

Mr Ndathi has already announced his intentions to contest the seat on former Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri’s The Service Party (TSP) ticket. He will face Ms Waiguru — who has decamped from President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee Party to the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) that is associated with Deputy President William Ruto — Ms Karua and Kirinyaga Woman Representative Wangui Ngirici.

With a fierce competition between the three women taking shape — particularly Ms Waiguru and Ms Ngirici — Mr Ndathi is concerned that “the gender card” could be used to sway the electorate and make it harder for them “to vet candidates purely based on their competence”.

“In 2017, a narrative was created that the battle was only between [Ms Karua and Ms Waiguru] yet as the incumbent governor I was also in the race. This made it impossible for voters to evaluate us based on our ability and character because it was reduced to a fight between the women,” Mr Ndathi told the Nation in an interview in Nairobi.

The former governor added that he is fearful that a similar narrative is gaining traction that the battle is between three women yet “I am still a force to reckon with on the ground”.

Waiguru’s defection to UDA

Ms Waiguru and Ms Ngirici have been engaged in a bare-knuckled fight over the running of the county. The duel between the two leaders went a notch higher two weeks ago following Ms Waiguru’s defection to UDA, under whose ticket she wants to defend her seat.

While announcing her defection, Ms Waiguru said she feared that the people would not elect her on a Jubilee Party ticket, adding that she had consulted voters before making her decision.

Ms Ngirici has welcomed the governor to UDA, saying, she doesn't mind competition.

“I think it is good to have competition. If you don’t compete, how do you know your strengths? But I have seen things on the ground (sic) and I know nothing is going to change,” She told journalists following Ms Waiguru’s defection.

Last month, Ms Karua announced that she is also in the race and denied reports that she is positioning herself to be running mate to one of the 2022 presidential contenders.

“Inasmuch as there are so many reports indicating that I should be a presidential running mate, no one has asked me to be his or her running mate. Secondly, I am focused on capturing the governor’s seat and that is my mission for now,” she said.

Women in leadership

Mr Ndathi says that, even though the political ideal of women in leadership is good and ought to be encouraged, the gender card should not be used to elbow out other candidates and confuse the voters.

“I still believe that I was rigged out during the party primaries in Jubilee but I deliberately chose to keep quiet to allow the current administration to work.”

“But now the time of reckoning has come and we will tell the people what [I did as governor compared to] what the incumbent has done,” Ndathi said.

Some of the achievement he boasts to have undertaken during his tenure are boosting the health sector by investing heavily in manpower and infrastructure.

He cites Kerugoya, Kimbimbi, Kianyaga and Sagana hospitals as examples of this achievement.

He also cites the construction of two new dispensaries at Kamuiru and Kiaga as well as the installation of an oxygen plant.

He also claims to have upgraded the county’s main towns and improved education through construction of early childhood development centres and provision of bursaries, built roads, initiated water projects among other achievements.