Mbeere North MP Leo Wamuthende has likened his first week in Parliament to his first days in high school, saying he is still adjusting to the demands and decorum of the House.
Speaking exclusively to TNX Africa, the newly elected MP dismissed a viral clip of him making a phone call on the floor of the House as Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro was presenting.
“Outside here, when you see Parliament, you only imagine what happens inside there. You know, getting used to that, getting used to standing and speaking to honourable members, it's just like you are a mono (freshman), right?” he said.
Wamuthende, who previously was in business, said the transition into national politics will be gradual.
“Having been out there as an opinion leader, being a businessman and now going to Parliament and being a mono, probably I'll get used to that. But it's one thing I'm trying to deal with,” he added.
He maintained that the seat will not change him or his “simple man” brand, insisting that the pleasantries that come with the seat cannot change him.
“You know, my slogan is 'simple man'. I even drove myself here. I'm okay. I'm still me,” he said.
Currently, Kenyan MPs are entitled to at least one armed police bodyguard, with additional officers stationed at their Nairobi and constituency residences.
The Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) also tops up allowances for the officers and drivers, who are hired under a taxpayer-funded constituency staffing scheme. A per diem is provided when MPs travel for official duties.
How Wamuthende rose to national fame
Wamuthende shot to national visibility after his name became a rallying chant for the Kenya Kwanza brigade during the hotly contested Mbeere North by-election.
The November 27, 2025, poll became a proxy battle for political supremacy in the Mt Kenya region, pitting former DP Rigathi Gachagua’s influence against that of current DP Kithure Kindiki.
Wamuthende faced off against Newton Karish of DP and Duncan Mbui of Chama Cha Kazi, clinching victory with 15,802 votes against Karish’s 15,308.
Kindiki framed the race as a referendum on the government’s development agenda, while Gachagua urged voters to resist what he termed “state-sponsored politics.”
The campaigns were intense and dogged by allegations of violence and voter bribery, underscoring the high stakes and fierce rivalries shaping politics in the Mt Kenya region.