Kiambu gubernatorial aspirant, Mwende Gatabaki - the wife of respected economist David Ndii - says the bottom-up economic model is not ideal for counties such as Kiambu and Nakuru.
During an interview with TV 47 on Thursday, April 7, Mwende explained that although her husband was the brains behind the famous model which has been adopted by Deputy President William Ruto's United Democratic Alliance, she would not apply it in the running of the Kiambu county affairs should she be elected on August 9.
She added that her husband, who also doubles up as the economic strategist for UDA, agreed on its applicability in their home county.
The IT guru, turned politician, added that Ndii informed her that the model would not work in wealthy counties such as Kiambu and Nakuru as it strives to uplift counties from poor standards to middle and higher economic classes. Gatabaki equated Kiambu to a middle-class country.
"The first conversation I had with him (David Ndii) about running as a candidate for the Kiambu gubernatorial seat, he was the one who told me that the bottom-up economic model would not work in counties such as Kiambu and Nakuru.
"Kiambu is a very wealthy county and we are already in the middle-class level. All other counties are working to be at the level where Kiambu is. In the case of the bottom-up model, it's meant for the other counties," she stated.
Gatabaki also pointed out her husband's influential role in the political realm, drawing examples from his support of the National Super Alliance (NASA) in 2017 and UDA in this year's election.
"His role is to work with the team that he feels will have an impact in the country. In the previous election, he worked with the NASA coalition.
"This time around he is in the UDA team. I would say he is the author and founder of the bottom-up model," she stated.
The IT expert hailed the eCitizen government project as one of the hallmarks of her professional abilities - describing it as the only Jubilee flagship project that was not linked to corruption. She implemented the project after President Uhuru Kenyatta head-hunted her to help the Jubilee government adopt informational technology in service delivery.
Her husband, interestingly, was a harsh critic of the government and President Kenyatta.
"One of the things about my family, and I think it is one of the reasons my husband was attracted to me, I come from what you would call a political oligarchy. My father was the last President of the KCA - the first political party in Kenya. He was also a Senior Chief and my mother was a Mau Mau activist. They taught me the power of social impact and that is why I'm in politics," she stated.
The Gatabaki's are a powerhouse in Kiambu with Mwende's brother, Njehu Gatabaki, having served as Githunguri Member of Parliament between 1997 and 2002. Njehu served alongside his two brothers-in-law, David Murathe (then Gatanga MP and now Jubilee Vice-Chair) and Albert Ekirapa (then Amagoro MP).
Mwende is seeking the gubernatorial seat on an independent ticket despite her husband pledging allegiance to the Kenya Kwanza coalition under DP Ruto.
If elected, she would become the first female Governor of Kiambu county. One of her priorities, she says, is to unify the people of Kiambu county, whom she previously noted, had been divided by historical alignments.
"Kiambu used to be the home of national leaders such as Jomo Kenyatta, Mbiu Koinange, James Gichuru, Charles Njonjo, and Waira Kamau. Later during Moi's era, we had the likes of Arthur Magugu, Paul Muite, and Njehu [my brother] who stood out. But the story of leadership ended with that generation. We have been electing politicians without leadership credentials," she stated.
Mwende also lobbied for the facilitation of the Thika Superhighway. In 2014, she was recalled by Uhuru to spearhead the national transformation of the government programme. She served the role for a one-year period.
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