Mbeere North folks discover 'power' is transient, as Kenya Power moves transformers

Lands CS Alice Wahome and Nyandarua woman rep Faith Gitau during the launch of the construction of Nyandarua University at Kapten, Ol Kalou.[James Munyeki, Standard

Once upon not too long ago, when Kanu was still party of Mama and Baba, a by-election was held in Kipipiri constituency, also in Nyandarua county. And because the party in power was so powerful, it deployed its enormous power to the people, by deploying its technicians to connect electricity to the sleepy hamlets.

The locals nodded their appreciation and said: Wero-kamu. It means welcome, and folks in those hamlets mean they say. They meant Kanu was welcome to proceed with its power installation. After all, the government does not require permission to extend maendeleo to the citizens.

Then, just as now, Kipipiri was seen as a litmus test of government popularity in a region that’s foisted in local mythology as a bastion of the nation’s freedom struggle. The area was perceived as a strong opposition zone.

Come election day, the ruling party’s candidate suffered a humiliating defeat, a feat that was immortalised in Taifa Leo’s alliterating headline: Kanu yaonja pilipili Kipipiri. Something is lost in translation when one converts this to English, so I won’t attempt it.

Smarting from the bitter chillies thrown in the eye, the ruling party deployed technicians, not to complete the task of lighting up those villages, but to cart way poles that had been sunk in the ground. Its strategy of dangling a carrot having failed, it unleashed the stick.

I hear the people of Mbeere North, where similar antics were employed in last year’s by-election, the power men who connected the villages there returned this week and carted away power transformers, plunging the hamlets in darkness.

Local politicians are asking the move not to be politicised. I totally agree. If the transformers are due for service, all at the same time, it’s because they are configured to run and fail at the same time.

I heard it on the grapevine that that the equipment is being deployed to light up Ol-Kalou, before being returned to Mbeere North. I don’t believe anyone would be that foolish, but if that were the case, then Mbeere North folks should be comforted by two things: The equipment is going to serve fellow Kenyans and, if they are not returned, they have had a good run for eight months.