By The Weekly Vision Team
Governor Moses Ndirangu Badilisha of Nyandarua County and many of his colleagues in the Mount Kenya region are facing challenging times with their constituents. In Governor Badilisha’s case, a section of residents has even taken to the streets to express their disappointment over his alleged lacklustre performance in office. Most of the residents, who just two years ago showed strong support by voting for him, seem to have turned against him.
Sources say the governor’s inability to fulfil his 2022 election pledges could be the main reason why people are uneasy with him. But in a quick rejoinder, the governor has placed the blame on his predecessor, Francis Kimemia, for the hostility. Mr Kimemia opted for a break from active politics after losing the last elections; he has not been seen at any public functions since.
Nonetheless, despite his absence, he is being accused of financing the hostility and rebellion against the current governor. Political analysts, on the other hand, believe that Governor Badilisha may have leveraged the UDA party wave to unseat Kimemia from his position rather than being the most suitable candidate for the job at hand.
During the previous elections, the Mount Kenya region witnessed a significant rise in hate campaigns directed towards Jubilee and Azimio aspirants. The primary objective of these negative campaigns was to vote out all candidates aligned with the then-president, Uhuru Kenyatta, and his Jubilee Party. As a result, Mr. Kimemia and others were defeated. Badailisha emerged as the winner in Nyandarua with 158,263 votes against Mr Kimemia’s 42,197 votes. It is worth noting that there were no street protests witnessed during Kimemia’s regime. The fact that residents have now openly taken to the streets to protest against the current governor is a testament to how bad things have turned.
Can we conclude that the former governor, Francis Kimemia, was considerably more effective than Badilisha? The current wave of rebellion against governors in the Mount Kenya region reflects the feelings of voters. Many people are now regretting their decisions and feeling desperate as a result of electing unsuitable candidates to office. The fact remains that the majority of elected leaders from the mountain region owe their triumph to the UDA party wave and the powerful anti-Uhuru Kenyatta campaigns by William Ruto and Rigathi Gachagua.
It has been suggested that if elections were held today, almost all elected leaders in the Mount Kenya region would possibly lose their seats. Their election can only be attributed to their strong affiliation with the UDA party at the time, rather than on merit.
In the wake of DP Rigathi Gachagua’s apology to Mama Ngina Kenyatta and the extended Kenyatta family, certain leaders from the Mount Kenya region are now insisting that the Deputy President should also apologize to the electorate. They argue that the dissemination of inaccurate information by the DP contributed to the dismal performance of candidates associated with Uhuru Kenyatta and the Jubilee Party, consequently resulting in the election of non-performing leaders.
