By The Weekly Vision Reporter
The MP for Kitui Rural constituency David Mboni Mwalika is on the spot after several aspirants began laying out plans to oust him from the seat in 2027. Many constituents consider him a lame-duck politician.
The MP is serving his second term in parliament, he is said to have never uttered a word in the August House. The MP was elected on a CCU party ticket in 2017 after the split of both Kitui West and Kitui Central constituencies in the last IEBC boundary review. The split saw the creation of the Kitui rural constituency. Kitui Rural has 55,000 registered voters.
The MP, who is rarely known even in media circles, decamped to Wiper in the run-up to the 2022 election and later retained his seat. However, voters say he is not felt on the ground and has concentrated development in his populous Mbitini ward while sidelining the other wards. To counter the political moves, voters in the other wards within the constituency have vowed to consolidate their support and throw their weight behind another candidate come 2027.
Already, three aspirants have declared interest in the seat and have started crisscrossing the constituency, popularising their bids. They include former MP Charles Nyamai of UDA, who lost to the incumbent in the last polls. Mr Nyamai is a technical adviser to East Africa and Regional Development, CS. Peninah Malonza. He has used his closeness to the CS well by distributing relief food in the constituency while portraying the incumbent as an absentee MP. Another candidate is Kasolo Makau, who has yet to declare his party of choice.
The MP is faced with a big dilemma over the rebellion from two populous wards of Kwa Vonza-Yatta with 18,020 and Kanyangi with 11,092 registered voters. The MP relies largely on his home Mbitini ward, which has 12,048 votes, and Kisasi ward, which has 13,840 registered voters. To counter the rebellion, Mwalika is reportedly said to be lobbying to have the two wards reviewed during the impeding constituency boundary review before the 2027 elections. Sources familiar with Mwalika’s plan say he is pushing to have the ward curved to join the Kitui West constituency from Kwa Vonza town and to have part of the Kanyangi ward going to the Kitui South constituency. Pundits say that with or without the Wiper Party, which he hopes to use, he will have a rough journey navigating his third-term bid.
