Do not be too quick celebrate Kiambaa win, pitfalls lie ahead

Njuguna Wanjiku, Moses Kuria and Ndindi Nyoro celebrate after poll win in Kiambaa. [John Muchucha, Standard]

With slightly over a year to the 2022 General Election, last week’s by-elections in Kiambu County provided a glimpse into the state of the nation on the back of the debilitating effects of the corona pandemic, a weakened economy and a citizenry clutching at hope for better prospects in the future.

You cannot begrudge the Kiambaa constituents their belief in the UDA candidate making their lives better. Politics, after all, is supposed to offer solutions to people’s problems. John Njuguna Wanjiku could be a surprise choice. As far as the pundits knew, he and his challenger Kariri Njama were pawns in a high stakes political game in which the “real” winners will retreat to their boardrooms with self-congratulatory messages and pats on the back as the losers bite their lips and kick their feet.