The battle for the Meru woman representative seat is one of the most competitive races in the Mount Kenya region, and it is shaping up into a two-horse race.
The contest between incumbent and lawyer Florence Kajuju of the Jubilee Party and Kawira Mwangaza, an independent candidate and a prominent businesswoman in Meru, is being watched with a lot of interest as the August 8 General Election draws closer.
Ms Mwangaza was initially with Meru Governor Peter Munya’s Party of National Unity (PNU) before defecting to Jubilee, where she lost to Ms Kajuju in the primaries.
Ms Kajuju won by 131,349 votes against her rival's second-place finish with 119,246.INDEPENDENT
Others in the race to unseat Ms Kajuju are Elizabeth Kailemia of PNU, Susan Kinyua, an independent, and Catherine Kagwiria of Maendeleo Chap Chap.
Ms Kajuju is banking on the work she has done for the county’s residents, key among them her efforts on behalf of miraa (khat) farmers, including fighting to get miraa recognised as a cash crop.
She insists that despite having minimal funding, she was able to help famers by sponsoring laws in the National Assembly.
“With the kind of work I have done for Meru people I am sure of retaining my seat, having fought for miraa famers and some other Bills still in the Parliament meant to help Meru people,” Ms Kajuju added.
However, her opponents have capitalised on Ms Kajuju’s unfulfilled promises to criticise her performance and to promise better leadership.
They single out the water problem, one of the woman rep’s major campaign issues in 2013, saying she had failed to keep the promise of ensuring women in the semi-arid areas of Igembe, Tigania, parts of Imenti South and Buuri get piped water in their homes.
“She was unable to fulfill her promises despite having being allocated some cash. Women and children in most parts of Meru are still struggling to survive,” says Ms Kailemia said.
But it is the contest between Ms Kajuju and Ms Mwangaza that has taken centre stage, with the incumbent accusing her opponent of taking advantage of a television station she is said to own to campaign against her unfairly.
Ms Kajuju says she had raised her fears with the Media Council of Kenya (MCK), the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to have the matter investigated, arguing it was damaging her campaigns.
“The usage of the television station that has a following within the region was giving my opponent undue advantage,” Ms Kajuju said.
She has been directed to gather more facts on her allegations and present to the commission next week.
Even as the IEBC is said to be investigating the issue, Ms Mwangaza has said she does not own the Meru-based Baite TV.
Ms Mwangaza’s entry into Jubilee appeared to have been the beginning of her rivalry with the incumbent.
The move led to the breakup of a popular outfit, known as KIKALI, that brought together Senator Kiraitu Murungi, who is gunning for Meru governor, Igembe South MP Mithika Linturi, who is in the Senate race, and Ms Kajuju.
Ms Mwangaza complained that she had been lured from PNU to Jubilee as a scheme to rig her out of the race.
But Ms Kajuju denies the split, saying Jubilee candidates in Meru still work as a team.
“We are still together despite not attending the same functions and events. I am confident that all elected leaders in Meru County will be on the Jubilee ticket,” she said.
