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After conquering the corporate world, Tabitha Karanja, the chief executive of Keroche Breweries, has thrown her hat in the political ring.

The battle-hardened Naivasha based entrepreneur has set her eyes on the Nakuru senatorial seat with current holder – Senator Susan Kihika—fighting tooth and nail to capture the governorship seat from the hands of Governor Lee Kenyanjui.

While Karanja has not openly declared which political party she would be using in her first race on the political track, Senator Kihika has been wooing her to the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) associated with Deputy President William Ruto.

“After doing what I have managed to do at Keroche, I feel I can add value to Nakuru county and my key area will be agribusiness because Nakuru is one of the biggest contributors to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP),” she said.

She said that she had been spurred by the fact that the private sector is often affected by unfair policies formulated by the country’s legislative arms. “We’re known not to like politics but when you look at it, we are the ones always complaining,” said Tabitha.

“The reason I want to join politics is that feel that those of us in the private sector who have done things that can be seen can come out now and apply the same leadership and management in our county,” she explained.

Speaking when she hosted a delegation of elders and grassroots mobilisers last week, Tabitha said: “I am putting my ears on the ground.

I am doing a lot of consolations on which party I will vie with.” And, in a telephone conversation with this writer later, Tabitha who has become the face of Keroche in the last couple of years, hinted that she would be providing a clearer picture on her senatorial bid next week.

“Can we talk next week around Tuesday?” she said.

“Once I am done consulting with the people of Nakuru and other key national stakeholders, at the right time I will publicly make an announcement on the way forward,” she said in a message posted on her social media.

Tabitha’s grand entry is likely to throw many aspirants back to the drawing board owing to the fact the deep pockets and her deep rooted networks both in the corporate and political scene.

She is a close ally of Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Raila Odinga.

“She is going to win in whichever party she vies with whether it’s ODM or UDA,” said Elijah Kinyanjui, a political analyst.

It is worth noting that Raila was the one who opened Keroche’s new state of the art factory in 2008. He has also been a vocal defender of Keroche Breweries particularly after they had a run in with Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) over tax fraud claims.

In 2019, Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji ordered the arrest of Tabitha and her husband Joseph Karanja over alleged Ksh14.5 billion tax fraud.

“I have been at the centre of the unfair business practices and given a chance I would introduce laws that would protect investors and increase business opportunities,” she told a local newspaper in October.

“I had the pleasure and honour to meet women from diverse walks of life across the Nakuru City County. Their presence made me feel proud, honored, loved and above all, it inspired me to keep pushing ahead,” she said after hosting a delegation of local women leaders.

The prospect of having two powerful women: Tabitha and Senator Kihika running for the top two powerful seats in the county present a mouthwatering prospect.