- Munyua told the Star in Juja town that he has already received the blessings from his family and elders.
- He was a notable face in the constituency for three years as his father fell ill immediately after being re-elected in 2017.
Image: JOHN KAMAU
Wakapee, a moniker given to former Juja MP Francis Munyua Waititu, remains a household name in the constituency despite his demise on February 22.
The nickname was coined by friends because of his habit of saying, ‘I will pay’, in drinking joints especially at Senate Hotel in Juja town, every time the waiter brought the bill.
But the famous name did not win the family the by-election that followed Wakapee's death.
In the May 18 poll, Wakapee’s widow Susan Njeri who vied on a Jubilee ticket lost to People’s Empowerment Party candidate George Koimburi, dealing a huge blow to the ruling party as well as the family legacy.
Koimburi garnered 12, 159 votes against his closest competitor Njeri who got 5, 746 votes. Other nine aspirants included Rashid Kariuki, James Marungo, Eunice Wanjiru, Zulu Thiong’o, Dr Joseph Gichui, Antony Kirori, Kennedy Gachuma, Kariuki Chege and John Njoroge.
However, Wakapee’s family is planning to stage a comeback and has already fronted son Martin Waititu Munyua alias Wakapee Junior, who's the youngest in the family, to fight for the seat in next year’s general election.
Munyua told the Star in Juja town that he has already received the blessings from his family and elders from the constituency to run for the seat.
Having been a notable face in the constituency for three years as his father fell ill immediately after being re-elected in 2017, Munyua said he is equal to the task and will continue with his father’s legacy in implementing the Juja development blueprint.
“There was an elaborate master plan that the late MP was working on to develop the vast Juja constituency. We initiated many projects across the constituency, which have since stalled. I’m confident that I will fit in my father’s shoes and complete the projects as well as initiate others that will develop our region,” Waititu said.
Munyua, who was already lobbying for establishment of land offices in Juja town, noted that land disputes are one of the major problems that have bedeviled Juja for decades.
He is pursuing a solution for the land disputes resulting from massive grabbing and multiple allocations by land buying firms in the area.
“Land matters, which are very emotive, have been a thorny issue facing thousands of Juja residents. Most locals lack the requisite land ownership documents and hence the escalating land disputes. We had written to the Lands ministry requesting establishment of land offices in Juja and even allocated a piece of land where the offices would be put up. The plans are still there and we hope we will get the land offices soon,” he said.
He also intends to implement a plan to provide sufficient water to Juja homes especially in the semi-arid areas of the constituency including Athi, Juja Farm, Nyacaba and Malaba noting that residents have been facing acute water shortage.
“We had an elaborate plan to sink more boreholes across Juja in partnership with the Kiambu county government. Some of the boreholes have already been sunk and residents are getting enough water. The perennial water scarcity will be a thing of the past since we will ensure that the remaining boreholes are sunk once we get to office,” he said.
Edited by Henry Makori