An 80-year-old woman has declared interest in the Nairobi Woman Representative seat in the August 9, 2022 elections.
Cecilia Mwangi, popularly known as 'shosh', will contest for the seat under the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party.
Mwangi, the proprietor of Shosh Sound Systems, was welcomed at the party offices in Nairobi by UDA Secretary General, Veronica Maina, on Tuesday, November 2.
"Welcomed Cecilia Mwangi, (Shosh), 80, to UDA. She will contest for the Nairobi Woman Representative seat," the UDA Secretary General stated.
The octogenarian rose to fame in 2018. She then became an international sensation when her story was featured by global media station Al Jazeera.
Shosh caught the eye of the international press for her prowess in sound systems. Then, aged 78, she fixed music systems for both private and public service vehicles at her shop based in Nairobi.
How she handled such complex mechanics at her advanced age made quite the impression. Consequently, her video became Al Jazeera's most-viewed video of the week when it was aired, garnering 159,000 views.
Her shop is based in Kariobangi South, where she runs the business with her son, Samson Kamau.
In past interviews, Mwangi revealed that she had ventured into other businesses including the transport industry for ten years and also run a green grocer. In1991, she developed an interest in sound systems and asked her son for help.
"No one clearly understood what I wanted. So I took one of my sons and asked him if he could be interested in installing and repairing radios, he said yes, and I bought him the necessary books and he began training," she disclosed.
Should she win the party preliminaries, Mwangi will become the oldest candidate to run for an elective position under the new constitution. However, should IEBC push for all candidates in the 2022 poll to have degree certificates, Shosh may not make the cut as she only reached Grade Four.
