‘Iko Love Lamu’: Monica Muthoni's fight for fair funding, poverty reduction, inclusion and re-election
Lamu Woman Representative Monica Muthoni Marubu at the Lamu Fort Hall.
What you need to know:
- Monica Muthoni Marubu, Kenya’s youngest woman representative, highlights major achievements in disability support, youth empowerment, bursaries, sports and anti-drug campaigns.
- Despite funding constraints in Lamu’s unique island geography, she plans to defend her seat in 2027 and push for increased Ngaaf allocations.
- She is transforming lives across Lamu—fitting prosthetic limbs for people once forgotten, rehabilitating addicts, mentoring girls and uniting communities; her critics are many, but so are those whose lives have changed because of her work.
Monica Muthoni Marubu made history in the August 9, 2022 General Election when, aged 30, she became the youngest woman representative to win the highly contested Lamu seat. Running as an independent, she defeated five opponents—most of them older, more experienced politicians—garnering 16,480 votes against runner-up Nana Mohamed Mote’s 13,174. Monica is now serving her first term.
Speaking last Friday, she admitted that the journey has not been easy for a young politician, but maintained that she has achieved far more than her counterparts in many other counties. She cites, among her landmark achievements, the introduction of Lamu’s first-ever artificial limb fitment programme. The initiative has enabled people living with disabilities (PWDs)—many of whom had long been forgotten—to access prosthetic limbs free of charge.
According to Monica, individuals who once begged on the streets or lived in isolation over the loss of limbs now have prostheses that have restored their independence and ability to earn a living. “I came up with the initiative after seeing one individual selling lemons on the streets of Mpeketoni but had no legs or hands. I took him for prosthetic limb fitting and later announced countywide that people in similar conditions would receive support,” she explains.
“We’ve done the first lot of 12 PWDs. The programme is ongoing, quarterly, every year. The plan is to reach every physically challenged person in Lamu before 2027.”
She adds that through the National Government Affirmative Action Fund (Ngaaf), her office has significantly increased funding to groups involving youth, women and PWDs. Previously, groups received as little as Sh30,000–Sh50,000. Under Monica’s leadership, no group receives less than Sh100,000. More than Sh9 million has so far been disbursed across the county—from Witu, at the border with Tana River, to Kiunga on the Kenya–Somalia border.
In addition to empowering youth groups, her office provides construction toolkit to graduates from technical and vocational institutes, donates car wash machines to self-help groups, and supplies goats, tents and tailoring machines to women and youth groups. Market traders and boda boda operators get free umbrellas to help them work in all weather conditions. “My office is committed to achieving socioeconomic goals for women, youth and PWDs. We want to foster financial stability,” she says.
Drug and substance abuse remains a persistent concern in Lamu and across the Coast region. In collaboration with stakeholders, including the Kenya Red Cross Society, Monica’s office identifies the most affected individuals and sponsors their rehabilitation at Hindi Rehabilitation Centre. The cost of rehabilitating one addict exceeds Sh100,000 and many families cannot afford it. “So far, we’ve sponsored 12 addicts in the first phase and five in the second. Some have fully recovered, returned to their families and become responsible citizens,” she notes.
On sports, Monica believes she is nearing her 100 per cent target. More than 200 football clubs—both male and female—have received kits, balls and jerseys, and have participated in tournaments organised by her office. She says the objective is to foster unity and sensitise youth to the dangers of drug abuse. “We’re engaging young people in sports to keep them away from drugs and to promote harmony, peace and love. My slogan is ‘Iko Love Lamu’. We don’t want the youth used by politicians to cause chaos or join terror gangs.”
Her initiatives extend to agriculture. Through her office, and in partnership with the national government, more than 10,000 farmers have received coconut, cashew nut and mango seedlings. She has also prioritised education, disbursing Sh2.5 million in bursaries this year alone to keep bright but needy students in school.
Monica has also been vocal in addressing teenage pregnancies. She regularly distributes sanitary towels and frequently visits schools—often wearing school uniforms—to sensitise girls to avoiding early sex and focusing on their education. “Whenever students see me in their uniforms, they love it and listen. This has really helped reduce teenage pregnancies and school dropouts.”
Despite these achievements, Monica believes more must be accomplished before 2027. One of her ambitions is to strengthen unity among Lamu’s cosmopolitan communities. “My happiness is to see the people of Lamu view one another as brothers and sisters,” she says. “This place has Muslims, Christians, Hindus and many ethnic groups—Bajuni, Kikuyu, Giriama, Somali, Boni and others. We must embrace oneness. That’s why my slogan is ‘Iko Love’.”
Her office has also launched a scholarship programme for students from poor backgrounds who excel and want to pursue nursing. “We started with 10 students, one from each of Lamu’s wards. I want as many as possible to benefit before my first term ends.”
Monica says inadequate funding remains her biggest challenge. Lamu receives Sh14 million annually from Ngaaf—Sh7 million each for its two constituencies—making it one of the lowest-funded counties. She argues that the allocation does not reflect Lamu’s unique geography, made up of more than 65 islands and a vast mainland, where travel is expensive and heavily reliant on water transport.
“Giving Lamu Sh14 million is underfunding us. Travelling here is almost three times more expensive than in Nairobi. Reaching places like Mkokoni to issue Sh100,000 for a project can cost over Sh200,000 just in boat hire and fuel,” she says. “A simple project costing Sh1 million in Nairobi can cost Sh3 million in Lamu because of logistics.”
She wants Ngaaf to treat Lamu differently by increasing allocations to at least Sh30 million annually. Monica also expresses frustration that women representatives—expected to serve entire counties—receive far less than MPs who serve smaller constituencies. “Our people expect us to do more but forget we have fewer resources. If you struggle to meet their expectations, you’re criticised from all sides,” she says.
Asked whether the woman representative seat should be abolished, Monica is categorical: no. “The position addresses historical gender imbalance. Even today, Parliament has not achieved the two-thirds gender rule. If we scrap the woman rep seat, things will get worse,” she argues.
She urges the public to stop viewing women reps as leaders confined to “women’s issues”, saying they are full Members of Parliament who debate bills, push policy and hold the government accountable.Monica says she will defend her seat in 2027. Unlike some women reps who leave after one term to pursue other elective positions, she plans to seek re-election to complete projects she has started. She also revealed plans to table a bill in Parliament, though she did not disclose details.
Voices from the grassroots
Opinion is divided among Lamu residents. Lucy Akinyi, 24, a hairstylist in Mokowe, says she did not vote for Monica but now believes she deserves another chance for supporting teenage mothers and girls. Mohamed Ali Kombo, 63, a fisherman from Kiwayu Island, disagrees, claiming Monica has never visited his village and doubts she will be re-elected.
For Juma Wanje, 20, a coxswain in Lamu Old Town, her position benefits women directly, so he does not blame her for not doing anything for him. Mthawali Katana, 56, a member of the Mijikenda Council of Elders, says he voted for Monica but believes she has “slept on the job”, although she still has time to improve.
Athman Famau, 50, a boat operator in Shella, feels neglected and is uncertain about her re-election prospects. Beth Githuka, 38, a grocer in Mpeketoni, says she has seen nothing to be proud of. Patrick Kamunge, 54, a cobbler, would abolish the woman rep seat altogether. But Adan Barkale, 70, a former councillor, defends Monica, saying people have unrealistic expectations of women reps given their limited budgets.
Optimism
Monica remains optimistic: “I believe the people of Lamu will re-elect me so I can complete the projects I’ve begun. I am grateful for their trust and will continue giving my best.”
Born and raised in Ndeu, Hindi, she attended Ndeu Primary School and Lamu Girls’ High School before joining United States International University–Africa, where she graduated in 2013 with a degree in international relations, specialising in diplomacy and foreign affairs.
