Embu leaders press for rotation of governor's position

Calls to rotate the Embu governor position between the two dominant communities that form the major voting blocks in Embu County have emerged, as the race for the 2022 governorship position takes shape.

A section of MCAs have started a campaign to have a leader from the Mbeere succeed Governor Martin Wambora (pictured) in 2022.

Governor Wambora who hails from the populous Embu community, is serving his second and last term.

The senator, deputy governor, and woman representative also hail from the Embu.

Ward reps led by Mbeti North MCA Peter Muriithi argue that the Embu community should now give a chance to their Mbeere cousins to take helm of the county’s big seat.

Muriithi who was a key supporter and campaigner for Wambora in the run-up to the 2017 elections, said his fellow ward reps from Manyatta Constituency have rallied behind the idea of a governor from the Mbeere community.

He endorsed former Senator Lenny Kivuti who hails from Mbeere as the most suitable person to take over from Wambora.

In the 2017, Kivuti lost narrowly to Wambora by a margin of 985 votes. Kivuti contested Wambora’s win, but lost at the Supreme Court.

“I have been a politician since 1992 and I supported Wambora in 2017. When Wambora leaves the seat after 10 years, we will vote for Kivuti and we want the rest of the county to back him,” said Muriithi, who hails from the Embu community.

Muriithi spoke during the launch of Kiambere Community-Based Organisation at the weekend, which was also attended by Kivuti, Speaker Josiah Thiriku, Minority Leader Lenny Mwaniki and five other MCAs who also endorsed Kivuti to be the next governor.

Kivuti welcomed the endorsement, saying he was ready to serve all parts of the county equally if he becomes the next governor.