How the fierce fireworks between George Thuo, William Kabogo came into existence

By Eric Wainaina

Kiambu, Kenya: When George Thuo made his debut into politics ahead of the 2007 General Election, his was a fierce battle with the incumbent Member of Parliament William Kabogo, now the Kiambu governor.

Thuo who died recently after collapsing at a pub in Thika brought the Citi Hoppa fame into the Juja race, raising political temperatures considerably and it was apparent that Kabogo felt the heat.

It was a battle that was politically branded Hopper Vs Chopper, since Kabogo owns a chopper which he used during his campaigns while Thuo was the founder of the Citi Hopper buses where he has major stake.

As a clear indication of how nasty this battle was, Kabogo at one time deliberately flew his helicopter very low over a party held by Thuo in the region, ruining the food with the cloud of dust the chopper raised.

After an ugly battle pitting the two, Thuo who vied on the Party of National Unity (PNU) ticket triumphed and rose to become the Grand Coalition’s Chief Whip in the Tenth Parliament.

His party was associated with retired President Mwai Kibaki while Kabogo vied on a Narc Kenya party ticket associated with Martha Karua.

But this was short lived after Kabogo filed a petition against Thuo’s victory which saw him ejected from the August House in 2010.

The court nullified his election over poll irregularities and while delivering judgement, Judge Luka Kimaru said the “credibility of the results were cast in doubt due to the glaring mistakes committed by the defunct Electoral Commission of Kenya”.

The petition brought more fireworks between the two. Though it was a parliamentary by-election, it turned into a battle of supremacy between the government and Karua who had just quit the Justice docket.

President Uhuru Kenyatta, then the Deputy Prime Minister in the coalition government and also the area political king pin and other top politicians in government campaigned for Thuo while a moneyed Kabogo managed with little support from Karua.

President Uhuru’s intentions to vie for the top seat was already evident even though he had not declared it and this created a political rift between him and Karua who had declared her position and Juja, a densely populated area became a testing ground. After being cast into the political cold, Thuo chose a quiet life, out of the public limelight.

His demise shocked many. Among the first mourners was President Uhuru who on his Facebook account described him as a kind and courageous man who had a singular sense of duty to his family, community and the entire nation.

President Uhuru said during his tenure as an MP and government Chief Whip, that Thuo distinguished himself as active man who made great contribution to parliamentary business by skillfully rallying MPs from both sides of the House to support crucial national legislation.

“Thuo’s death leaves a huge vacuum that will be hard to fill. He was well respected as a humble, kind and courageous man who had a singular sense of duty to his family, his community and the nation at large,” said President Uhuru.

Police have already commenced investigation on the death which many believe was too fast but CID Director Ndegwa Muhoro asked residents to avoid speculation on the death.