Igembe North residents fire sitting MP, MCAs in August polls

This year’s general election gave the Igembe North electorates an opportunity to fire all their elected leaders by voting them out.

The residents replaced all the leaders from the MCA all the way to the area MP.

Constitutionally, the electorates are the bosses of all political leaders having been granted the power to hire and fire non-performers or change their taste of leadership when voting time is ripe.

It is a surprise that in the Igembe North constituency which has a total of five wards no leader was reelected in the just concluded elections.

Starting with the constituency’s highest leadership which is the office of the MP, the voters replaced the outgoing deputy majority whip in the National Assembly, Richard Maoka Maore of the Jubilee party with UDA’s Julius Taitumu.

Taitumu succeeded in his second bid to lead the people of Igembe North having lost to the outgoing MP, Maoka Maore in the 2017 general election.

The race attracted seven contestants including Maore who garnered 16,446 votes against the MP elect’s 18,115.

The immediate former MP Joseph M’Eruaki of The Service Party (TSP) got 11,115 votes, and Justus Kagwima Wamataa of PNU party finished fourth with 2,065 votes.

Ntunene ward which owns a share at Laare town which is regarded as the constituency’s capital attracted 10 candidates in the MCA’s race where the incumbent Jediel M’mauta of Kiraitu’s Mbus party lost to Patrick Mwirigi Muliuki of Jubilee party in what is considered as sibling rivalry both of them belonging to the Azimio La Umoja Coalition.

Mwirigi secured victory after garnering 3150 votes against his closest rival M’mauta who got 3041, Christopher Mutuma of UDA party came third with 1046.

Antuambui ward which is also part of the Igembe North’s capital too has a new face of leadership after firing the incumbent Jackson Gitonga of ‘Mbus’ party and replacing him with Fredrick Mburugu of Jubilee Party. The incumbent came third after Stanley Kuura who ran on an independent ticket.

In Naathu ward Kiunga alias Kastarehe scooped 3,131 votes against the incumbent Mutura who got 1,781 votes.

In the constituency’s Amwathi ward, the incumbent John Michael Ntongai who scored 4,604 votes was ousted by Henry Thuranira who scooped 6,252 votes against the rest of the eight candidates.

Speaking to People Daily Digital Morris Mwenda who is a resident in the constituency says they voted for change, to try someone else suitability in serving Igembe North people.

“When we vote these people in they concentrate on pleasing their rich loyalties forgetting the majority of the poor voters who voted for them, for example when awarding tenders only the rich and the most connected get leaving out the vulnerable deserving citizens,” Mwenda noted.