Breaking barriers to seek the political kingdom

By Felix Njenga

Kenyans continue to break political barriers abroad after another of their number was elected councillor in a ward in rural England.

Daniel Munyambu, who is an undergraduate student in a British university (he declined to name the institution), made history after winning the Vange Ward seat in Basildon, Essex, last month on a Labour ticket.

He is the second councillor to hold an elective post in Britain after Councillor Elizabeth Kang’ethe was elected to a London Council Ward last year.

Munyambu hails from Kairi Location in Gatundu North — the same location that produced Councillor Mwaura – the first Kenyan councillor to be elected in Sweden last year.

Nothing is impossible

Munyambu, who is also a businessman was born 37 years ago son to a teacher father and farmer mother, who both live in Gatundu. He is the third-born in a family of eight.

He migrated to Britain four years ago to enrol for school and joined Labour Party two years ago. He gained enough popularity to merit the nomination to vie in Basildon after expressing his interest in the Vange ward.

"My slogan was ‘It Can Be Done, Play Your Part,’" Munyambu said in a phone interview with The Standard.

"I have played my part and would want to see Kenyans elsewhere doing it like in Russia, Germany, Canada and US, as nothing is impossible." Munyambu says he enjoyed support of many white residents, which encouraged him to plug on.

British campaigns, he added are not expensive as voters do not expect contestants to bribe them. Further, Munyambu says students, even foreign ones, are allowed to participate in British elections.

Munyambu says that was able to communicate his aspirations for Essex.

Basildon Council is composed of 42 elected councillors, one third of whom seek re-election every few years. The next borough council elections will take place in May next year.

Councillors are accountable to the residents of their borough wards and have an overall duty to the community.

Basildon District was formed in 1974 and includes the towns of Basildon, Billericay and Wickford. Munyambu received nearly half of the votes cast in the recent council election, although the voter turnout was marginal at only 30 per cent.

He secured over 1,000 votes of about 2,000 votes cast, with his nearest rival from the Conservative party garnering some 500 votes.

Other participating parties were Independence Party and the Liberal Democrats, who garnered 338 and 102 votes, respectively.

Munyambu says it’s time Kenyans made a difference wherever they live, with determination and God’s favour.

Munyambu says he was doing business in Kenya before he decided to return to school, and has been interested in politics, which he thinks need be reformed to end oppression and denial of opportunities by promoting equality of opportunity for all.

As the first black councillor in Essex County, he has made the promise of equal opportunity come true. He shares Council chambers with 41 other councillors.

Excellent road

Basildon District is the second largest district in Essex with a population of about 10,000 people, and covers some 42.5 square miles. With excellent road and rail links to London, the rest of the county and South East England.

Basildon offers a broad range of sports and leisure activities, which include the Festival Leisure Park.

Work is currently underway on the construction of a state of the art Sporting Village due for completion in time for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The ward that Munyambu represents is predominately white at 96 per cent. The majority of respondents consider themselves to be Christian at 72 per cent.

But this is not to say Britain is the world’s Eldorado of integration. Some extremist political groupings like the British National Party are opposed to immigration by people from other cultures, whom they accuse of polluting the English way of life and culture.