• He said although he has won the race, he is well aware of the tough task ahead.
• Jhanda said he is inheriting a constituency that needs to be repaired through good leadership.
Image: FILE
Nyaribari Chache MP-elect Merhali Zaheer Jhanda says he was born with mental strength that nudges him towards success.
In an interview with the Star, he described his political career as a voyage punctuated by many pitfalls.
“I thank God for this victory. He has been so good to me,” Jhanda said
He said although he has won the race, he is well aware of the tough task ahead.
Jhanda, who won the seat on the UDA ticket, said he is inheriting a constituency that needs to be repaired through good leadership.
“A lot is wrong, very wrong and this is where I will start,” he said.
On Thursday, Jhanda, an Asian, garnered 31,694 votes defeating locals James Kenani (ODM), outgoing MP Richard Tong’i (Jubilee), Chris Bichage (independent) and journalist Eric Obino (Kanu).
Tong’i was second with 10,039 votes. He has since conceded defeat and thanked the electorate for their ‘unwavering support throughout the two election cycles’.
“I may not have done everything that the people of Nyaribari Chache wanted but I have no doubt in my mind that I did my very best to improve the constituency,” the outgoing MP said.
He claimed that his main opponent spent millions of shillings on the campaigns.
“...Hence his win is not about good leadership. It’s my prayer that our lord has other great plans. I wish my new MP well as he serves our people,” Tong’i said.
This was the third time Jhanda was seeking the MP seat. He got it.
After his victory was announced, he said wished his mother was still alive to see he finally achieved his dream.
His mother died in December 2021. “Had she been alive I would have dedicated this victory to her. May she rest in eternal bliss,” he said.
Jhanda dismissed UDA party’s wave narrative as a factor in his win, saying nothing good comes without sweat. “I count this victory a product of a long arduous struggle. It was a triple effort to sell myself in the face of a region tortured by clan politics. It is good our people have learnt to sift leadership from clan and tribal arithmetic,” the MP-elect said.
“There is no silver spoon in my mouth. Nothing really, not even the trappings of being an MP, would separate me from the people who voted for me.”
The politician speaks Sheng and a smattering of Kisii language.
He is a darling of youth and the majority of women voters who voted for him. Jhanda said his first assignment will be looking for ways to empower the electorate who trust him. He said his vision for Nyaribari Chache residents is huge.
“It is a vision I look at and shudder. When I reach here I look up to Him to give me strength. I have trusted in Allah and I know He will not let me down. I will deliver,” he said.
“The bigger the trust, the bigger the demand for me to translate my manifesto into reality. Nyaribari Chache, like most constituencies, is sick with poor infrastructure, unemployment and poor bursary distributions. There are ravages of poverty among pockets of the population that need to be addressed.”
Jhanda said he will start various development programmes aimed at empowering his people.
The businessman is a philanthropist, a trait that has made him a magnet throughout his campaigns.
At funerals, he has to be prevailed upon to stay around for a while during the ceremony to avert disruptions. “He’s like a rockstar, you know. He is loved. We love him,” resident John Ocharo said.
Jhanda said he is married to Alice Moraa and has three children.
He speaks glowingly of UDA presidential candidate William Ruto.
“We have been friends for more than 18 years now. He has the qualities to steer this country to the next level,” he said.
Ruto, he said, speaks for the man on the street who roasts maize, the mason, the mama mboga and the shoe shiner. He said the DP connects with the ordinary mwananchi.
Jhanda first joined politics in 2012 and vied for the seat on a URP ticket.
He lost to Chris Bichage, who later lost the seat after a successful petition by Tong’i.