Elijah Njoroge floored veterans including incumbent Wanjiku Kibe (Jubilee) and her predecessor Francis Kigo. [File, Standard]

Outgoing Biashara Ward MCA Elijah Njoroge's win in Gatundu North parliamentary contest has taken many by surprise.

Njoroge popularly known as Kururia, an independent, floored veterans including incumbent Wanjiku Kibe (Jubilee) and her predecessor Francis Kigo who had hoped to ride on the UDA wave.

He got 30,799 votes with Kibe coming second with 12,282 votes, closely followed by Kigo with 11,716 votes.

It was such a huge achievement for the 35-year-old flamboyant politician and former Kiambu county chief whip to shift his political base from Ruiru to Gatundu North and get elected on his first attempt.

The MP-elect ran a well-oiled campaign on land and on air that enabled him to reach remote areas of the vast constituency to convince voters to support his maiden attempt for the MP's seat.

He took the campaigns to another level by landing aboard a helicopter attracting huge crowds in sleepy villages of the constituency that was hived off from the larger Gatundu.

While serving as Biashara Ward MCA in Ruiru Constituency, Njoroge is remembered for his fight against graft which saw former Governor Fedinard Waititu hounded out of office on integrity grounds.

As majority whip at the Kiambu county assembly, Njoroge was in 2021 feted by Mizani Africa as the best performing MCA in Mt Kenya region following Waititu's ouster and for his gallant fight for the adoption of the BBI initiative which he says could have benefited Kiambu residents.

Njoroge told The Standard in an interview that he plans to champion for the expansion of roads in Gatundu North which he accused his predecessors of giving a deaf ear during their time as area MPs.

"The roads in this agriculturally potential region have been ignored for far too long. Tea, coffee and milk farmers have been counting huge losses during the rainy season. I will prioritise road expansion and equal distribution of all resources allocated for Gatundu North," Njoroge said.

"That is why Gatundu voters gave me the chance since I understood their grievances which I plan to table in parliament by moving various motions on matters touching on especially women and the youth."

The outgoing MCA said as much as he was running the affairs of Biashara Ward in Ruiru he never forgot his home constituency.

"Initially I had contemplated running for the Ruiru MP but after seeing the challenges my people in Gatundu North were facing I decided to shift my political base to my birthplace."

Njoroge is known to take a firm stand on integrity issues and which saw him resign as majority whip on November 22, 2018 following the introduction of a Finance Bill in the assembly which in his opinion did not favour the poor in Kiambu.

In 2020, he surprised a church congregation in Kiambu after he gifted a pastor with a new car after the pastor contributed all he had including bus fare towards the construction of the completion of the church.

Njoroge who was the chief guest ordered the car to be brought to the church in 30 minutes and fully funded the completion of the church.

In 2017 Njoroge sent tongues wagging after he arrived at his traditional wedding aboard a chopper.

He has also not shied away from flashing his vast wealth from the public eye.