Four battle it out for Jubilee ticket in Murang'a's Gaturi ward

 

Four hopefuls will Friday square it off for the Jubilee ticket in Gaturi ward, Murang’a county.

The four are Esther Mwihaki, Rosemary Wakuthii, Joshua Githinji and Muchoki Mbuthia. The exercise is expected to start at 6am.

The seat fell vacant after MCA Kiiru Mwangi, alias Mbembe, died about a month ago after a long illness.

Speaking to the Star, party branch secretary Joel Irungu said measures had been put in place to ensure a free and fair nomination devoid of irregularities.

“Some of the candidates have expressed concerns that the irregularities experienced during the 2017 nominations caused many candidates to vie independently and have called on the party to ensure the process is smooth,” Irungu said.

The party is in the process of preparing polling stations, he added, and the exercise will be coordinated by Thika region executive secretary Joe Mathai.

Meanwhile, residents have said they want a candidate who can lobby for development, expressing concerns that the largely semi-arid ward still lags behind. They said lack of tap water is one of the main challenges they face.

Boda boda operators could be seen ferrying jerrycans of water along the Murang’a-Kiria-ini road.

“Water is so crucial and without it, no area can move forward. If we had water for irrigation, this area could easily transform into the county’s food basket,” Peter Mbugua said as he fetched water from Mwirua river.

Resident Beatrice Muya said roads in the area are in a sorry state and she hopes the next MCA will lobby for the upgrade of feeder roads. Many homes, she added, are also not connected to power.

Mwihaki, a former journalist, said if elected she will work closely with the county government to solve the water challenge.

She praised the government for sinking three boreholes in the ward but noted that more funds are required to connect the water to homes. A further Sh300 million has been injected into Gatango water project.

“Since we were young, we have been fetching water from rivers but it is now time Gaturi people are liberated from this backbreaking work,” she said.