One of the major winners in the just concluded August elections is Narc’s Charity Ngilu who won the Kitui Gubernatorial seat.
The loss of the seat which was held by Wiper’s Julius Malombe was a major blow to Party Leader Kalonzo Musyoka and viewed as the NASA’s principal loosening grip on the Ukambani region.
These are some of the tricks Ngilu used to outwit Kalonzo in his perceived stronghold.
1. Infighting in the Wiper Party
The former Lands Cabinet Secretary capitalized on the infighting between Governor Malombe and Senator David Musila to clinch the gubernatorial seat
Musila who had lost the Wiper primaries to the incumbent governor was hell bent on teaching Kalonzo a lesson which saw him run as an independent.
Both candidates running split the wiper votes and cleared the way for Ngilu to garner votes in regions that were dissatisfied with the Wiper party.
2. Supported Kalonzo
Ngilu learnt from her political miscalculations in 2013 where she supported the Jubilee administration
Her defiance of the party leader cost her the Kitui Senatorial seat to Wiper’s David Musila.
During her 2017 campaigns, she publicly came out to support Kalonzo though she chose to vie in her NARC party.
This ultimately endeared her to the people who in the previous election viewed her a traitor since Kalonzo had galvanized Ukambani to vote for Raila
3. Grassroots campaign
Being a seasoned politician, Ngilu opted to appeal to the grassroots level going for the populist brand of politics.
Campbell Munyambu who was wiper member campaigning for Malombe observed that Ngilu outwitted her competitors as she would seat with village women on the floor as she listened to their issues
“Unlike her competitors, Ngilu is a populist who knows how to excite people and connect with the masses. She also got a chunk of mileage by appearing to support Kalonzo and NASA in her campaigns,” he conveyed.
4. Political experience and financial muscle
She had the money to run her campaigns and knew how to woe residents to vote for her. She even garnered a considerable number of votes from her opponents stronghold.
Her running mate Wathe Nzau, fished the votes for Ngilu in Musila’s backyard of Mwingi.
5. Avoided Major Centres
Throughout her campaigns, Ngilu concentrated on the interior parts and avoided major centers like Kitui, Mutomo and Mwingi towns.
This was deliberate as people in the towns would question her for the stalled Umaa dam project which was initiated during her tenure as water Minister in the grand coalition government.
