Kang’ata Not Eligible To Run for Murang’a Governor Over Running Mate’s Integrity – IEBC

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has denied Murang’a Senator Irungu Kang’ata permission to compete for Murang’a governor.

This was after the electoral body determined that his running mate, Winnie Mwangi, had failed to quit within the required deadline.

State officers seeking elective positions must resign six months before the election, as stipulated in the Elections Act.

State officers seeking to participate in this year’s elections were supposed to resign by February 9, 2022.

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Mwangi had been a lecturer at the University of Nairobi for almost 25 years when Kang’ata chose her as his running mate.

Mwangi did not quit by February 9, as required by law, a letter to the IEBC from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) shows.

Kang’ata, on the other hand, read malice into the judgment and blamed his rivals, who he claimed had banded together against him in an attempt to prevent him from running for governor.

“We have evidence that she resigned on time and we will be coming back tomorrow to prove it,” he said.

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Mwangi is a land economics expert from Karagia village in Gatanga subcounty.

Kang’ata in May, said he chose Mwangi, 50, because of her extensive knowledge on land issues. He told the electorate that she will offer a plethora of expertise and abilities to his administration.

“Research indicates that only about 30 per cent of residents have land ownership documents because many have no information on how to file for succession while others suffer financial constraints,” Kang’ata said.

Mwangi will double as a Lands executive if they win in August, he said.

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Kang’ata pledged that if he is elected, he will issue more than 6,000 title deeds to locals every year, 10 from each polling center, with Mwangi on board.

Mwangi currently works as a land consultant for the government and was a member of the group that drafted the current land legislation.

She earned a PhD in land economics and a master’s degree in housing in the United Kingdom after completing her bachelor’s degree in land economics at the University of Nairobi.

Then the sitting senator said that the county’s Lands department had made it impossible for both locals and investors to develop structures.

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“This has chased investors away from the county but with Mwangi on my team, we will help streamline and modernise operations in the department to make it more efficient.”

“She is a born again Christian with good morals and will help straighten me up when I go astray as she is older than I am,” he said.

“When I was looking for a running mate, I was impressed to find that she was already a member of UDA party because most of the others were not. She was also from Gatanga and I had made a pledge to pick a professional from the subcounty.”