When Hillary Muigai Muchoki expressed his interest to vie for the Ichagaki Ward Rep position two years ago, most people laughed off that idea.
The reason is that he comes from a poor background, and had no money when compared with his competitors; he is young and owns no car.
However, this didn’t kill his dream of becoming a leader. He vowed that no matter what, he must try his luck.
“Many people didn’t believe in me. They gave me all sorts of excuses. They wanted me to forgo my dream of becoming a leader but I never listened to them. I was called names by my competitors especially a few months before the UDA Party nominations but this never discouraged me. I was determined.”
Muigai who was vying on a UDA party ticket ran against some of the most vocal politicians from that ward such as the outgoing MCA Charles Mwangi, and Sarah Njeri among others yet he managed to secure a resounding victory, polling 4,347 votes.
Njeri garnered 3,051 while Mwangi only managed 117 votes. The seat had attracted 14 candidates.
“It was a tough journey but with God, we were able to campaign peacefully. God gave me and my supporters' humility and perseverance throughout. His favour prevailed because although I worked hard, he walked with me and gave me wonderful supporters and he didn’t forsake us,” said Muigai shortly after being declared the MCA in Ichagaki ward, Murang'a county.
His campaign was seen as the cheapest in that ward. He crisscrossed different villages using his motorbike while others were using big cars to transverse the villages. Because of poor roads in some areas, he was sometimes forced to walk on foot to get to his destination. However, despite all these challenges he never gave up.
“I carried out my campaign using a motorcycle until I received support from area residents who had cars. They also volunteered to fund my campaigns. Most of the funds that went into my campaigns were from well-wishers who believed in me.”
Muigai says he decided to vie for the position because he wanted to bring change to his community something that residents have been yearning for. He says he understands the issues that are affecting the residents because he has been a leader in different settings before.
“My key agenda will be to transform the lives of the people. Since our county relies mostly on agriculture, I will achieve this by introducing contract farming and high-value horticultural crop as well as value addition. This will enable farmers to produce in plenty with a ready market.”
Muigai said for long, farmers from the constituency have been exploited by brokers who buy their produce at a throw-away price, something that has seen a good number of them abandon agriculture.
Another challenge has been a lack of political goodwill for those who would like to venture into value addition something that has scared away potential investors.
“We have coffee and bananas in plenty in this ward, but any attempt by any investor to venture into value addition has always not been welcomed by the government. Now that I have been elected, I will make sure that we have well-laid policies that will be guiding such investors,” he said.
The MCA-elect said after mainstreaming the agriculture sector he will then shift his focus to better the roads and healthcare services as well as ensure residents have access to clean and safe drinking water.
He also extended a hand to his opponents saying they can work together and help generate ideas to serve the residents better.
“To my competitors, I thank you for a healthy competition. We may have in a way collided and hurt each other and I ask for your forgiveness. I also welcome everyone to work together to develop our ward.”
-Edited by SKanyara
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