•Some media personalities have also left their jobs to seek political seats.
•This comes after the Media Council of Kenya asked those eyeing political seats to resign.
Image: ELKANA JACOB
Many people have left their professional jobs and have ventured into politics.
For the last few weeks, various professionals have been involved in rigorous campaigns, seeking party tickets in readiness for the August election.
Some media personalities have also left their jobs to seek political seats.
This comes after the Media Council of Kenya asked those eyeing political seats to resign.
Image: CHARLENE MALWA
Felix Odiwuor
Felix Odiwuor, alias Jalang'o is a former Kiss FM presenter.
He began his career as a radio presenter in 2004.
He transitioned to Radio Maisha in 2012, after which he later moved to Hot 96 FM in 2017 till 2018 when he went to Radio Milele.
In July 2020, Jalang'o went back to where he began his radio career as a morning presenter at Kiss 100.
He officially quit his radio job on February 9 to focus on his political campaigns.
Jalang'o clinched the Orange Democratic Movement ticket to contest for the Lang'ata MP seat.
He won the seat after garnering 3,509 votes against his competitor Oscar Omoke who got 1,612 votes.
The race had six contestants.
Image: Courtesy
Mwanaisha Chidzuga
Mwanaisha Chidzuga is a former news acnhor for K24 wikendi.
She was brought up in Kwale.
She previously worked at KTN, BBC, Pwani FM and KBC.
Chidzuga is the daughter of the late Zainab Chidzuga, who served as Kwale Woman Representative between 2013 and 2017.
She will contest for the Matuga parliamentary seat under the United Democratic Alliance party.
Chidzuga, who declared that she would contest for the parliamentary seat, on September 20, was endorsed by some of her family members.
She will face off with her brother.
The media personality said she would diligently serve Matuga residents if elected.
She thanked the elders and the family members for endorsing her candidature saying she would continue with her late mother’s legacy.
Image: JOHNSON SAKAJA
Njoroge Muchiri
Njoroge attended Kenyatta University to pursue a Bachelor's Degree in Education Science specialising in Mathematics and Computer Science.
He then went to the University of Nairobi to study Computer Science, Banking, and Financial Support Services.
Muchiri held the position of Chief Operating Officer at Absa Bank Kenya.
He is a guru in the cooperate world and has had a packed career profile tagged to his name.
Before joining Absa, he has previously served as a Computer Science Lecturer at the University of Nairobi and as an Information Technology consultant at KPMG
Njoroge was also at Standard Chartered Kenya, working as a Project Manager and later served as the Director of Standard Chartered in Botswana.
At Standard Chartered, he served as the Head of Banking Service Delivery Africa.
Later he joined NIC Bank as its Director of Technology and Operations and Managing Director of the NIC Bank Tanzania
In Barclays Bank now Absa, he served as Director of Digital Banking, Customer Network Director and currently the Chief Operating Officer,
Muchiri had contested in the recently concluded United Democratic Alliance primaries for the Nyandarua governor’s seat but lost to businessman Kiarie Badilisha.
Kenya Kwanza Alliance Nairobi governor candidate Johnson Sakaja named Njoroge Muchiri as his running mate.
Sakaja said Njoroge will bring in vast skills and knowledge from the cooperative world which makes him the perfect choice.
Image: File
Polycarp Igathe
Igathe is a Kenyan businessman, politician and corporate executive. He acts as the Chief Commercial Officer in Equity Group Holdings.
He had earlier served as the Vice President in charge of Sales and Marketing in Vivo Energy Africa and resigned in May 2017.
He had served as the Chief Commercial Officer of Equity Bank Kenya, between May 2018 and September 2018 when he was later promoted to the Managing director position.
Igathe was the second Deputy Governor of Nairobi in the 2017 general elections.
He resigned on January 31, 2018, citing a lack of trust by his boss.
On April 19, Igathe announced his candidature to run for the Nairobi governor seat on the Jubilee ticket.
Igathe will fly the Azimio flag after getting a direct ticket.
Image: FILE
Adan Abdulla Mohammed
Adan Abdulla Mohammed is a prominent Kenyan banker and entrepreneur.
He previously served as the managing director of Barclays Bank in East and West Africa.
Aden pursued an MBA at the Harvard Business School, a degree he completed in 1998.
After receiving his MBA, he returned to Kenya and joined the country's Barclays branch as a Finance Director.
Aden would rise through the ranks and eventually assume the position of Managing Director of Barclays bank in East and West Africa. Under his tenure, BBK won the Banker Awards in 2009.
On April 25 2013, Mohammed was named as Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Industrialisation, one of 18 CS nominees to the new Uhuru Kenyatta administration.
He was later sworn into office on May 15 2013.
In February, he decided to leave the city for Mandera and give back to his community.
He counts himself lucky among peers in the village, given that his father could afford to take him through school hoping that he would become a District Officer.
He said his decision to vie came after wide consultations with the people of Mandera, who urged him to come back and help develop the community.
Career coach Alex Musau, who is the chief executive officer at Esquire Consultants, asks anyone leaving their job for politics to ensure they have a plan B in case things do not turn out as fashioned.
“This should not only apply when they lose but also at the end of the five years, political wind may change and sweep you out,” he says.
“You must have a war chest purposefully for the campaigns without eating into family savings. Have a pension plan otherwise, the rigours of it may leave you in tatters as many will tell you. It is an expensive affair.”
Wahome Gakuru who quit his job as the first director of Vision 2030 in the run-up to the 2013 elections, says because one will be in this for the long haul, they do not resign until the last day when you should.
“You need that income for your family and campaigns,” he says.
Most certainly coming from experience, Gakuru tells the aspirants to be wary of brokers who only tell them what they want to hear.