Who between Ndambuki, Mwau
and Mutula is best siuted
as Senator?
THE race for Makueni Senator’s
seat is getting more competitive wit the entry of Education Minister Mutula
Kilonzo .
What looked a fairly straight
fight for Kaiti MP Gedion Ndambuki and Kilome MP John Harrun Mwau will
certainly get complicated and more divisive as voters choose who between their
sons will be senator.
Before Mwau joined the fray,
Ndambuki seemed to be easily sailing but Mwau has clawed back that notion with
the use of his countless resources that he is using to whitewash the county.
Now the battlefields will be in Kibwezi East, Kibwezi West and Makueni
Constituencies, assuming that the candidates will lock the votes in their
respective home constituencies.
Going by the situation on the
ground, Ndambuki would be the man to beat if the voting was done today, given
the fact that he covered miles campaigning while Mwau and Mutula were still
undecided. Among them, Ndambuki scores
highest in visibility and availability in the constituency. Besides, he has
build a name for himself as an achiever MP for Kaiti.
Ndambuki surprised his
supporters when he chose to vie for
Makueni Senate seat even as he was deemed by many to be more suitable as
Governor, being the mover he has been for Kaiti constituency.
Mutula’s entry to the race is
even shocker owing to the way he has handled matters in Mbooni. Even as he
seeks votes, his biggest drawback will be in Mbooni where there is doubt that
he can win any election in the constituency. His biggest challenge will come
from the manner he has handled the CDF kitty, leaving it to be mismanaged and
offering a deaf ear to wailing constituents. All along, he has never behaved as
he would ever seek another elective seat in Ukambani.
After keeping his supporters
guessing for long, the outspoken minister said he had decided to break his long
silence over the candidature following “pressure from Makueni County
residents”.”Makueni voters have been pushing me to declare my stand on the
position of Senator. Who is Mutula to let them down”?, he posed.
There hardly is any big difference
between Mwau and Mutua as far as constituency work is concerned since both are
laid back and appear to view constituency affairs as a big bother, effectively
leaving it to their staff to deal with the voters.
But if Makueni voters are
looking for laid back leaders to send to the Senate, then they have good
choices in Mutula and Mwau. If they are looking for people who are difficult to
find in the county and are far removed from their day to day lives, then the two
will provide a good pair to choose from.
The Constitution of Kenya sets
out the job of senators as the trustees of sorts of county governments. Article
96(1) says “ The Senate represents the counties and serves to protect the
interests of the counties and their governments”.
The Constitution also sets out
three other tasks for the Senate as participation in law making affecting the
counties by Parliament, determining the allocation of resources to the counties
and participation of oversight of State Officers in determining any resolution
to remove the President or his Deputy from office.
In choosing between Ndambuki,
Mutula and Mwau, Makueni voters must be alive to the fact that the Senate will
be a place of ideas, strategy and deft negotiations. It will be a place where
only strategic thinkers will make an impact. So as they choose, they must
evaluate each one of them and see who among them can best represent the
interests of the county f Makueni in the county. For each of them is claiming
to have what it takes to be senator. Mutula says he is going for the seat
because he has what it takes. Ndambuki so claims and Mwau has said it for the
umpteenth time.
It is not time for a gamble,for
any county that will elect weak leaders will lag behind in development.
Voters need to elect competent Senators
and Governors if they expected their County to compete effectively with the
rest”, he added.
In the race for Governor, Prof.
Kivutha Kibwana, Prof Philip Kaloki, Mr Tom Luusa, Retired General Jones
Mutwii, City Businessman Cosmas Muthembwa, former Makueni MP Peter Maundu, Machakos medic Dr
Peter Kilonzo and Mr Mutua Syomwenzwa have all hit the road seeking to be the
first CEO of Makueni.
In the race for County Women
Representative, former Kibwezi MP Mrs Agnes Ndetei is in the ring along with
Former nominated MP Grace Mwewa, Mrs Eunice Munanye, Ms Carol Malinda and Ms
Victoria Kioko.
No doubt, the Governor will be
the most influential person as head of the County Government and must
essentially be a good manager to oversee prudent use of the massive resources
that will go to the county.
Obviously, anyone of the
candidates with a proven track record in management of public resources, has
high integrity levels and is a performer will be the right person for the seat.
Just who will this be?
Stay
Anchored!
