Missing governor Kihika keeps Nakuru on unending edge

The conspicuous absence of Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika in the county for the past five months has raised eyebrows, once again.

Since November 2024, the governor has been running the county through social media where she has been highlighting ongoing and completed projects, much to the chagrin of her constituents.

The governor came out on January 17, 2025, to explain that she was expecting a baby and that she was on a long maternity leave.

However, a section of her constituents want to hear none of that, insisting that her absence must be explained in detail, and they have moved to the county assembly to ask members to interrogate the absence.

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“We want the County Assembly to summon the governor or her representatives to publicly disclose where she has been and why she has repeatedly missed crucial events without giving another excuse as maternity period is over,” they said.

The residents are demanding clarification on who is running Nakuru County. They say Kihika should make an official communication if she is unable to perform her duties.

The residents who marched to the assembly also want assurance that there is effective leadership, especially in moments of crisis experienced over the last months.

Further, they demanded transparency on foreign travels and want the county assembly to provide details on all official foreign trips taken by Kihika, their purpose, and how they benefit Nakuru residents.

The residents also demanded that Kihika addresses the people of Nakuru in a public forum and reassure them about her commitment to leadership.

They want the assembly to respond to the petition within 14 days, or else, they will hold peaceful demonstrations outside the assembly premises.

“While Nakuru continues to face crises that require decisive leadership, the governor has been conspicuously missing, leaving residents to fend for themselves without clear guidance or intervention,” reads the petition.

Kihika’s last public appearance was on November 18, 2024 and she has only been vocal on social media, posting projects instead of addressing critical issues.

But why has Kihika’s absence attracted so much interest from both the electorates and local leaders?

The residents point at issues like the recent disappearance of fisherman Brian Odhiambo and seven-month-old baby Mercy Chepng’eno at the Nakuru Level 5 Hospital mortuary, as some of the issues that required the governor’s attention.

“We demand accountability for the disappearances of baby Mercy Chepng’eno who went missing from a hospital and fisherman Brian Odhiambo, allegedly abducted by officers from Kenya Wildlife Services,” the residents submitted.

They also point to increased incidents of insecurity, murder, and disappearances as matters that should concern the governor.

According to the residents, the governor's absence has led to a leadership vacuum that has caused anxiety, and lack of clear directions on policies.

They particularly allege that there is a growing concern that there are leadership wrangles between Deputy Governor David Kones and County Secretary Samuel Mwaura over who is in charge.

Kihika’s election as the third governor of Nakuru County caused a lot of excitement because she was among a few women to capture the seat under the devolved system of government.

Her story exemplifies the fairy tale of a young nondescript lawyer who entered politics and rapidly plunges herself into the inner sanctum of the country’s power matrix.

Her meteoric rise in the murky world of politics further underscores her compelling passion and ambition to achieve her goals, which has confounded her competitors.

Kihika’s apparent charming looks, wit, and apparent pleasant personality, over the past decade, helped in masking her iron will and autocratic ambition, which has had both her allies and opponents underestimate her drive, tenacity, and viciousness.

Over a short period, Kihika has forged useful networks and linkages that have placed her in a strategic position within the country’s axis of power and influence.

Nakuru County occupies a central position in President William Ruto’s power game and economic development agenda due to its central location in the country, its multi-ethnic nature, and large population that translates into a huge voting bloc.

The region is also perceived as a major political strong bed in the expansive Rift Valley region.

Kihika and her husband, businessman Samuel Mburu, have on a number of occasions hosted President Ruto at their palatial home in Ngata, on the outskirts of Nakuru City.

Her Machiavellian philosophies of unrelenting pursuit for power and realism in politics have seen her steady rise from a county assembly speaker, to Nakuru senator and eventually to the first female governor of the county in a decade.

She is perceived as a leader who has perfected the dark art of political intrigue, strategic use of alliances, and underhand political methods to boost her influence and annihilate her opponents.

Kihika also appears to be well-schooled in the art of stagecraft that has seen her pool large crowds in her public rallies, to the chagrin of her opponents.

Her position as the governor and her proximity to President Ruto, through her husband, has catapulted her on the high pedestal of power, influence and money.

But her political rise has been characterized by a series of altercations that have left many to see her as aggressive and combative, just like her late father Dixion Kihika Kimani.

Her political history is closely intertwined with that of her father who made history by being the first leader to be elected as an MP in three different constituencies.

He was MP for Nakuru North,( then covering Bahati, Subukia and Rongai constituencies), in the 1970s, Laikipia West Constituency, between 1992 and 1997 and Molo Constituency, (then covering Njoro and Molo constituencies), between 1997 and 2002.

The late Kimani came into the national limelight in the early 19970s when he orchestrated a national campaign to have the country’s Constitution amended to bar the then Vice President Daniel Arap Moi from ascending to power upon the death of President Jomo Kenyatta.

Just like her father, Governor  Kihika’s abrasiveness since joining politics has seen her ruffle feathers on her way up.

The fearless Kihika has rubbed just about everybody the wrong way.

The alumnus of the Bishop Gatimu Ngandu Girls High School received her education in the United States of America where she studied law and political science.

She returned to the country in the run up to the 2013 general election when she declared her candidature for the Bahati parliamentary seat but lost in the TNA party nomination exercise.

She lost the seat to her erstwhile political nemesis Kimani Ngunjiri, the former Bahati MP.

After the loss, Ngunjiri and Nakuru Town East MP David Gikaria were instrumental in Kihika capturing the county assembly speaker’s seat after they lobbied MCAs.

Kihika made history by being elected as the first speaker of the county assembly and as the first woman speaker in the country.

Her leadership of the assembly catapulted her into the national limelight due to her constant brushes with the county executive headed by Governor Kinuthia Mbugua.

It was during her tenure that the assembly and the executive developed their distinct characters, with the two leaders not seeing eye to eye, sometimes to the extent of some county business grounding to a halt.

Kihika’s tenure as the governor of Nakuru has been characterized by controversial decisions that have put her at loggerheads with local leaders and a section of residents.

The War Memorial Hospital saga, the termination of contracts of 500 health workers, and the alleged poor development record have opened a new battlefront between her and a section of leaders.