Governor who fought many ouster bids retains seat

Embu Governor Martin Wambora waves to his supporters shortly before receiving his certificate at Kangaru Girls’ School on Friday. [Joseph Muchiri, Standard]

Embu Governor Martin Wambora has recaptured his seat after a tightly contested race that saw him defeat his main rival, Senator Lenny Kivuti, by only 985 votes.

Wambora (JP) garnered 97,760 votes, narrowly beating Kivuti (MCC) who had 96,775.  Kithinji Kiragu was third with 50,044 votes.

As for Cyrus Njiru, Leoard Muriuki and Njagi Kumantha, each got less than 3,000 votes.

There was anxiety in the lead-up to the announcement of the results as the online transmission system oscillated, with Wambora and Kivuti leading intermittently.

The anxiety and long delays climaxed in Wambora receiving his certificate from the county returning officer, Daniel Lenarum, on Friday night.

Just before Wambora rose to receive the certificate, Kivuti, who has contested the results saying he was rigged out and will file a petition in court, stormed out of the room accompanied by his supporters and agents.

His fights

Wambora’s win gives credence to the perception that he is a governor with nine lives. During his first term, he survived two impeachment attempts, court cases, fights from area MPs and revolts by his cabinet.

His triumph gives him a fresh mandate to unite the county and steer it to development with less wrangling. The MCAs who moved his impeachment motion, Ibrahim Swaleh, was among 13 others who lost.

In his remarks after receiving the certificate, Wambora admitted that the campaigns were tough and were marred with obstacles.

He congratulated Kivuti for his ‘significant fight’.

“We have finally made it with the support of thousands of supporters in all the 20 wards. We are going to form a wonderful team with my deputy, David Kariuki, to make sure Embu prospers and moves to the next level,” he said.

There are those who believe the county has been sharply divided along tribal and clan lines and that Wambora must make concerted efforts to unite it. All the major seats went to the Embu community, making the Mbeere feel excluded.

The governor, his deputy, senator-elect Njeru Ndwiga, and the women representative-elect Jane Wanjuki all hail from the populous Embu community.

Wambora has, however, given an assurance that he will work with all the leaders in the county, including his former opponents, without holding any grudges.

“I will ensure that people from Mbeere get critical positions in both the executive and legislative arms of the county,” Wambora said. During his campaigns, he unveiled Josiah Thiriku from Mbeere North as his preferred speaker of the county assembly.

He said that with the Jubilee Party having bagged 14 MCA positions, it will be easier for the county executive to pass its agenda.

Thus, if Wambora manages to have a speaker of his choice and the goodwill of the MCAs, he is likely to face few upheavals in his second term.

Senator-elect Ndwiga agrees with Wambora that Embu now has a chance to start afresh, having elected new leaders who are likely to work together.

“We are all members of a board called Embu County Limited and we shall be judged at the end of five years depending on the bottom line that we bring to the people,” said Ndwiga.

The former Cooperatives Development minister and Manyatta MP appealed to Embu people to forget the past and move together to prosperity.

Wambora promised to complete ongoing projects and start new ones, including building of 500km of roads.

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