- Kamau announced he will vie for governor under Jubilee Party and has been granted a direct ticket.
He said he wants to be weighed for the position by Murang’a people as an individual and be voted based on his achievements.
Image: ALICE WAITHERA
Murang’a governor aspirant Jamleck Kamau has urged voters to assess him on his track record and not his political party.
Kamau has said leaders clinging to their political parties for popularity are without an agenda and are afraid of facing the electorate individually.
Kamau announced he will vie for governor under Jubilee Party and has been granted a direct ticket.
He had earlier insisted that he would only vie through a party that would not subject him to nomination, saying party primaries are normally marred by irregularities.
The former Kigumo MP said leaders calling for a six-piece political suit (election of all leaders through one party or alliance) are those who want to hang onto their parties for popularity.
But he said he wants to be weighed for the position by Murang’a people as an individual and be voted based on his achievements.
“I am coming to the people of Murang’a as Jamleck, an individual, so that they can weigh me and establish what I have done and what I can do for them. If you are a leader and you just want to hang onto your party, it shows you are not a leader enough for the position,” he said.
Image: ALICE WAITHERA
Kamau is facing off with Senator Irungu Kang’ata of UDA, ex-Water Principal Secretary Wairagu wa Maai (DP), Farmers Party leader Irungu Nyakera, former Roads Assistant Minister Joshua Toro and pharmacist Moses Mwangi.
Mwangi has vied for the seat twice before, losing to governor Mwangi wa Iria both times.
Kang’ata has been largely riding on the famous letter he wrote to President Kenyatta in 2020 in which he outlined the government’s declining support in the Mt Kenya.
In the letter, Kang’ata said the majority of locals were not in support of the Building Bridges Initiative that the President was championing and that they instead preferred more focus put on streamlining the agriculture sector.
The letter saw his removal from the position of the Senate Majority Whip and replaced with Kiambu Senator Kimani Wamatangi.
But Kamau wondered why Kang’ata never deemed it necessary to write a similar letter to the county government detailing the lack of drugs in hospitals and the poor state of feeder roads.
“Kang’ata is a friend. Once in a while we meet and have a cup of tea and I have told him that writing the letter was not wrong but the work of a senator is to oversight the county government. If he has been unable to do that, will he be able to take on the work of a governor?” he asked.
Speaking during a free medical camp at Gakoigo in Maragua, the former MP said he will soon launch his manifesto to outline his agenda for the county.
It is expected the President will attend the launch to drum up support for him and the Jubilee Party in Murang'a.
Kamau appealed to leaders to conduct mature campaigns devoid of insults.
“Leaders have a responsibility of being mature. If you want to lead in whichever position, even that of chairperson of a cattle dip, first thing to do is to mature up. Leaders who go abusing others and hurling insults at their opponents are not worth their salt,” he said.
He said the electorate will consider leaders based on their agenda, saying those capitalising on insults lack a vision to sell to Kenyans.
Kenyans continue to react to verbal attacks directed at former First Lady Mama Ngina Kenyatta after she asked the Central region community to vote for ODM leader Raila Odinga.
“I think somebody’s conscience should prick them and tell them insulting others is wrong because they too would not want to be insulted in such a manner,” he said.
Edited by Henry Makori