A Kenyan national has followed in the footsteps of the former United States of America President, Barrack Obama and declared interest in an MP seat in Canada.
David Ondieki, Nurse manager with Covenant Health and AHS has declared interest in Canadian politics and wants to be a Member of Parliament for Red Deer-Lacombe district in the country's upcoming federal election.
Ondieki wants to take a stab at the much-contested seat with the Liberal Party of Canada.
He was born and raised in Kenya, worked as an accountant with a bank before he moved to the USA, where he received both his accounting degree, nursing diploma, and MBA from Texas A and M University.
He is currently the president of the Association of Kenyan Community in Alberta province, Western Canada.
Ondieki argues that the people of Red Deer-Lacombe are in dire need of good health care and they need to privatise the whole system.
"Residents in Red Deer-Lacombe are extremely concerned about the current state of our health care system. Some have expressed concerns that two-tier health care and privatization are in our future. I can assure constituents that a Liberal government will never allow our system of universal health care to be undermined," he said in his interview.
Ondieki has never vied for any political seat before and he wants to capitalise on his experience of growing up in Kenya to help transform the lives of the people in Canada.
"I am running for office now because I understand what ails people at the grassroot level, particularly with the current pandemic that has brought suffering to the low-income and middle-income families. As a frontline nurse and having worked during this difficult time, I felt that no one understands the ordinary citizen more than someone who is part of that class and that is me," he noted.
He added, "my experience growing up in a third-world country has given me a better perspective of what is needed to give voice to the people of my constituency."
Ondieki moved to the US with only Ksh109900, which he was expected to pay for his fees and start off his life.
He was forced to take up two full-time jobs and go to school full-time at the same time in order to survive in the US.
"When I moved to the USA, I had only $1,000 with which I was expected to pay for my fees and start me off life. Because there was no any other support and money that I received from Africa after arriving in the USA I was forced to work two full-time jobs and go to school full-time," he stated.
He added that he had to keep with all the tough conditions to survive and prevail in both education and his life.
"Halfway through my accounting degree, I was forced to join nursing school out of necessity while still working full-time. It was not easy but again with hard work, determination, and persistence I completed both my nursing and accounting education without any loans but paying for myself from the meagre jobs that I used to do," Ondieki recalled.
