Meru Governor Race: Why Kawira Mwangaza Has Snubbed Campaign Billboards

The Meru gubernatorial race has three frontrunners; the incumbent Kiraitu Murungi, UDA’s Mithika Linturi and Kawira Mwangaza (Independent).

Kiraitu and Linturi have their faces plastered all over the county but Ms Mwangaza has one banner.

The sitting area Woman Representative has a banner on a building in Meru town where she once operated a hardware shop.

Speaking to the Nation, the County MP said she diverted funds meant for printing campaign material.

Read: Senator Linturi in the Running to Unseat Governor Kiraitu in Meru

The funds she told the daily that she has been using the money to purchase dairy cows for the disadvantaged in the area.

“One day, my family and I prayed about the advertisement strategy and God gave me a vision – that the resources and money intended for posters and billboards be spent on buying a dairy cow per poor family. It also helps in keeping the environment clean,” she said.

If elected in August, Ms Mwangaza said the initiative would continue uninterrupted.

“So far, I have given out hundreds of dairy cows to the poor across the county,” she said.

Read Also: Why Ida Odinga Was Heckled in Meru

She hopes to donate at least 50,000 cows in her first in government.

“This will be made possible through budgetary allocation from the county government and donations from my salary as I have been doing as woman representative,” she added.

Along with promising to hire a tailor in each primary school to manufacture uniforms for students who cannot afford them, Ms Mwangaza has also promised to offer free lunch to all primary schools.

The County MP might not be investing billions in campaign material, she does however have campaign ads running on Baite TV.

Read Also: 22-year-old Gloria Mwendwa in Race to Succeed Meru Woman Rep Mwangaza

Ms Mwangaza and Kiraitu have been taking shots at each other for a while now.

In January, the Bus Party leader accused the legislator of duping locals saying that she will not be on the ballot “due to her lack of [academic] requirements”.

“If she produces a degree certificate, we will demand that the EACC and DCI [Directorate of Criminal Investigations] investigate how she received [the document] because it must be a forgery,” he stated.

“She will never be a threat to my political career since she has no understanding of [governorship functions].”

Read Also: I Could Not Let Uhuru Step Aside For Raila – DP Ruto Explains Leaked Audio

In a quick rejoinder, Ms Mwangaza insisted that she had two degrees and that the county chief was scared of competition.

“The governor should stop intimidating me and focus on showing us the work he has done with the billions he has received over the past four years. I have a degree in education from Kampala University and another in transformational church leadership from Pan African Christian University,” she said.