By Tukio News Reporter
Clinching the Meru County top Job is always an expensive affair, Munya and Kiraitu will tell you.
The diversity of the county residents and diverse opinions is always not easy to consolidate.
Former Meru Governor Peter Munya probably lost due to a calculated move by the jubilee party.
A Governor from Imenti, Deputy from Tigania and a Senator from Igembe was the political arrangement that gave Kiraitu victory.
On the other hand, PNU had a Governor coming from Tigania, a Deputy from Igembe and a Senator from Imenti, a plan that failed due to other factors not the arrangement.
What made PNU lose top Jobs in Meru during the previous election?
First, the then incumbent Peter Munya was overconfident that he was going to win the election.
This was evidenced by how he behaved. He used demeaning words to the then opponents who were in KiKALI (Kiraitu, Kajuju Linturi) political alignment. He used all manner of demeaning names against them, including kibiribiri among other names.
He was accused of arrogance and hot temper.
He had no good relationship with the Media. Most of the journalists from Meru County preferred covering Jubilee rallies more than the PNU ones.
Munya insisted that Kiraitu was to retire and promised to buy him a Television set to go watch at home and play ajua games in the village.
Some of Munya’s Pointmen were not faithful enough as they were not delivering “messages” as they were sent.
Munya was also being accused of making decisions alone. He was accused by MPs of not respecting them. He was not giving them audience while he was the county boss. All of them except David Karithi, the then MP Tigania West were against him.
He had weaker partners as compared to Jubilee team. Peter Kaberia and Mugambi Imanyara’s political prowess could not be compared to Titus Ntuchiu and Mithika Linturi.
The Munya partners dependend on Munya’s Meetings to sell PNU manifesto as compared to Linturi who had a helicopter that went round the county selling Jubilee manifesto.
Munya had bad blood with top government officials in the county. The former Meru County Commissioner Wilfred Nyagwanga was accused by Munya of siding with the Jubilee faction.
At the Propaganda stage of Politics, Munya was unable to counter fake content that was inserted in his manifesto by Jubilee supporters.
The propagandists altered the Munya’s manifesto to mean that he was going to replace miraa crop with other crops if he would be reelected. This made miraa people mad.
The last card that saw Munya out was lack of support from the above. The president and his deputy supported Jubilee Candidates, leaving Munya to fight his battle alone.
I believe these are enough lessons for him this time round.
Why did Kiraitu team Win?
They capitalized on Munya’s weaknesses. They insisted that they would have done better than Munya.
Kiraitu came up with the promise of ksh 20 million ward development fund, an idea that was liked by many. He said that each ward would be getting Ksh 20 million per year.
His team had committed, able and strong partners.
The team Promised voters that they would be the decision makers in matters of development.
They were financially more stable and willing to invest in the campaigns. They were fearing Munya would retain the seat because he was seemingly a darling for many especially in Nyambene his homeground, while he also had support from people he had hired in his administration, hailing from igembe and imenti.
The Kiraitu team got Imenti Consolidated votes and had spent more time in Igembe, the perceived Munya’s backyard.
Jubilee party was regarded more prestigious because it was a nationwide party with the President and his deputy’s support.
The voting pattern of Kiraitu’s backyard is always better than Munya’s because the former voting block is united and votes are not distributed to many candidates.
If Kiraitu will seek to retain the seat, then he will have lied to Ameru because he requested for only five years to show the young generation how things are done.
Both Munya and Kiraitu now have equal chances of being Governors in Meru but if Kawira Mwangaza will vie, the two gentlemen might share the elites’ votes and Kawira might sweep the rest of the votes, notably the poor and the uneducated who religiously trust what she does and says.
If Linturi will vie for the same seat, he will have a hard time because he has no backyard. He has no stronghold for now, unless he builds one.