Why Mbeere North by-election was never about locals

In a normal election in Mbeere North, candidates often enumerate what they would do to elevate the living standards of the arid and semi-arid area.

With zeal and persuasion, they would remind the electorate how the Constituency rags behind in comparison with Manyatta, Mbeere South and Runyenjes.

Unlike other constituencies whose economic mainstay is coffee, macadamia nuts, and tea Mbeere North relies on education for its future and that may explain why the area produces academic giants.

Some of the influential leaders who hail from Mbeere North include Justin Muturi, the Democratic Party (DP) who is also a former Magistrate, former National Assembly Speaker and the former Attorney General.

Lenny Kivuti, the late Jeremiah Nyaga and members of his family who included Nahashon Nyaga and Joe Nyaga were accomplished professionals whose names have been used as examples of the school-going children that education can open doors to dine with the high and the mighty.

Other scholars from the area include former Justus Kariuki Mate, Dr Dominic Njagagua and his brother and former MP Charles Njagagua.

Any candidate seeking votes promises to turn around education through equal distribution of bursaries so that the future of the arid area may look bright even as they promise the electorate that they would push government to allow them utilize Masinga and Kaburu dams to establish water for irrigation projects as well as connecting homes with the electricity.

Until about five years ago, Muguka farming was introduced in the area, but even as the crop continues to change the region’s fortunes, its negative impacts include increased school dropouts, which locals see as a threat to the area’s academic footing and in a electoral contest aspiring leaders would be expected to explain how they would avert such danger.

However, in the just-concluded election, the candidates did not bother explaining to the electorate what their priorities would be, as they were not in charge of their campaigns.

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki was in charge of the ruling United Democratic Alliance candidate Leonard Wamuthende while former Deputy President Kithure Kindiki was in charge of Democratic Party candidate Newton Kariuki.

Not even clan politics which has for a long time been the main determinant of the MP, was a factor; the campaign was about a clash of egos and supremacy battle between the government and the Opposition and the locals were sucked into the politics.

What locals experienced was political hubris and sloganeering, high-profile government and opposition figures, heavy deployment of the police, including the anti-riot police, voter bribery and movement of high-end SUV vehicles with concealed number plates as well as violence as two factions clashed and in some instances firing in the air.

For the first time, Agnes Njeru said she witnessed so many non-locals patrolling Siakago town, near Siakago Girls High School, which has a Constituency tallying center, where she operates a kiosk as they brandished nyaunyo, clubs and machetes.

“I started voting in 1997, and I have never witnessed anything of the sort. When I saw the gang, I quickly closed my kiosk and went home but I could not sleep because of fear, it was like the gang had taken control of the area,” Njeru said.

The gang that Njeru referred to was strolling outside the Siakago social hall within the Siakago shopping center and had an altercation with journalists covering the by-election.

Jane Mugambi, a journalist working with The Standard was a victim. The goons found her outside the polling station, roughed her up, snatched her phone before formatting it, deleting all her day’s work.

“The goons were accompanied by an MP who does not hail from Mbeere North. They thought I was filming them, but I was not. One of them, wearing a maroon t-shirt tried to snatch my phone as the MP watched. He left me when my colleague shouted the MP’s name who instructed to leave me alone,” she recalled.

Moments later, Mugambi said, a security officer of the said MP confronted her and attempted to trap me in the ground as he squeezed my fingers until I let go off the phone, he formatted it leading to a loss of all my days work and my contacts., this left me traumatized and shaken.

The goons, she said had guns and were shooting in the air a move that saw locals tremble out of fear and confusion.

Joseph Kanyi, a photographer, explained how their car was surrounded by goons at Gitibuuri Primary school, where they had gone after getting a tip that there was violence.

“We got wind that there was action at Gitibuuri polling center minutes after counting of votes started. 200 meters to the station, we witnessed about five motorbikes carrying about four people each but as they approached the gate, they met another group that had machetes and clubs when they started fighting, the group at the gate overpowered its rival and burnt motorbikes,” Kanyi recounted.

The group later surrounded the journalist’s vehicle as some demanded to know what their mission was as they hit their car with the club.

“Upon hearing that we were part of the media, some of them reasoned with us and directed their peers to leave us alone, they opened the gate but directed us not to access the classrooms where counting of votes was done, we were frightened and confused as we did not know our fate, we could not leave the station nor gain access to the polling station,” said Kanyi.

The journalists were relieved when an anti-riot police car arrived at the station and they identified themselves and followed the car outside the station.

Two incidents were witnessed at Kaungu polling station when, during the day, government officials led by one of the Cabinet Secretaries and Embu County Government officers stormed the station, leading to confusion.

After the voting ended, there was drama when the vehicle ferrying the votes attempted to change the route towards Siakago tallying center.

Njeri Mwangi, a Safina party agent stationed at the Kaungu polling center said agents demanded that the CS and the county officers leave the station as they had been accompanied by their supporters.

“They had come with 14 vehicles and wanted to gain access at the polling station we vehemently opposed. The police later arrived and agents maintained that the leaders needed to leave the station,” she recalled.

After the voting, Mwangi said the vehicle ferrying the election materials was rerouted and since she and another agent had motorbikes following the vehicle, they mobilized for locals who stopped the car and directed them to head to the tallying center.

“We had two motorbikes that we used to follow the vehicle. When we realized that it had changed the route, my colleague rushed ahead and mobilized locals who instructed the driver to head to the tallying center," she said.

Manyatta MP Gitonga Mukunji recounted how his car was shot at after he called the police to alert them of an incident, saying he had never witnessed a drama such as the one he did during the by-election.

“I have never experienced the drama that was witnessed during the voting and after the voting period. I have never experienced an election where a person is holding a polling station hostage. I saw with my naked eyes, the CS getting into the polling station with goons and chasing away everybody, leaving only him and the IEBC representative,” he said.

He added, ‘When I called the police, they came to teargas me, one of my cars has a bullet hole, not one but two, they thought I was in the car, so they shot at it. The interesting part is that all this happened with the complacency of IEBC.’