Steve Mkawale And Francis Ngige
24 June 2006
Nairobi — As the race for the Nakuru Town parliamentary seat nears the home stretch, aspirants have started to dig deeper into their pockets to sustain their money-guzzling campaigns.
The town is already in an electioneering frenzy, as the candidates work round the clock to woo voters in what is now being billed as the show of money and might.
Candidates are spending heavily to outdo each other in the campaigns that have become more intense than what is usually witnessed during the general elections.
Some aspirants who have limited financial resources have been forced to throw in the towel while others have slowed down their campaigns as voters' appetite for money grows by the day.
Sources at local financial institutions indicated that some aspirants have been withdrawing close to Sh1million weekly to sustain their campaigns.
Samuel Muigai of Narc-Kenya addresses his supporters
"These politicians have kept us busy since the seat was declared vacant, some have been withdrawing a million shillings every week while others have been receiving cash from outside the country through their churches and personal bank accounts," said a teller at a local bank.
The money is used to transport, feed and entertain supporters who have currently made campaigning their full time occupation.
The parliamentary seat fell vacant following the tragic April 10 Marsabit plane crash that claimed the lives of assistant minister and area MP Mirugi Kariuki and four other legislators. The seat has attracted a record 52 candidates.
LDP's Geoffrey Asanyo joins his supporters in a dance along Nakuru town's streets
The constituency is awash with campaign posters and banners placed in strategic points. Other candidates have gone a notch higher by placing advertisements in national daily newspapers.
Vehicles mounted with powerful sound systems and emblazoned with posters and other campaign materials have been criss-crossing the town.
Rich aspirants have printed T-shirts and caps, which have been distributed to both their supporters and non supporters.
The Central Business District, which hosts a number of Government and private offices as well as business premises, has not been spared the cacophonic frenzy.
Many people working in nearby offices and those doing businesses in the town are unhappy. They want the exercise to be completed so that they can resume their normal lives without disruptions.
Narc-Kenya's William Kariuki Mirugi takes his campaigns to Nakuru market
"The campaigns have become a nuisance as the aspirants' vehicles, which blare loud music, have made life unbearable in our work places," said Frank Mwangi, an insurance executive in the town.
Transporters have hired out their long haul trucks for the campaigns. The trucks have become a common spectacle in the town. They ferry around enthusiastic youth, who keep on hanging precariously by their sides as they shout slogans in support of their candidates.
"To hire a 24-wheeler truck you need close to Sh20,000 a day, while pick-ups are hired at a cost of Sh5,000 a day," said a transporter. No one is leaving anything to chance as the aspirants use any available opportunity to bag support.
Apart from criss-crossing the constituency in vehicles and addressing rallies, some aspirants have resorted to the door-to-door campaign strategy, which has seen them shower their hosts with gifts like blankets and mattresses. One candidate used close to Sh300,000 to buy blankets and mattresses for voters at a single electoral ward.
"It is a campaign like we have never seen before. There is a lot of money in circulation than in general elections," said Martha Wairimu, a vegetable vendor in Kaptembwo slum.
The intense campaigns extend late into the night as some candidates venture into nightclubs to try and convince the youngsters to vote for them.
Kanu's David Manyara is welcomed by his supporters in Nakuru on arrival from the US
Local musicians have not been left out. Some have composed songs in praise of their financiers. Some of them have come up with interesting slogans that they have recorded and sold to aspirants.
Ranging from "chagua mlala hoi mwenzetu (vote a fellow struggler) to "sambaza maendeleo (distribute development), the eye-catching slogans in the campaign posters have become the talk of the town.
Songs by leading local artistes have been corrupted to suit the interest of certain candidates. The constituency has over 112,000 registered voters.
Owing to its dense population, and the largest number of parliamentary aspirants in the country's history, all major political parties are taking the by-election, scheduled for July 24, seriously. The by-election will be a crucial testing ground for the general elections next year.
Many voters know where the money is and have positioned themselves according to the financial power of the aspirants. Offices and business premises of candidates who are financially stable have been a beehive of activities, with voters queuing for handouts as early as 6 am.
Taxi, matatu and Tuk Tuk drivers have been smiling all the way to the banks while its "harvest" season for boda boda (bicycle taxis) operators.
Peter Macharia, a town service matatu crewmember, said they are paid Sh250 per day for just hanging a single poster for the candidate on their vehicle.
Taxi drivers who joined a recent campaign convoy of a Kanu candidate, for about six hours, were paid Sh2,000 each for the job while boda boda operators raked in Sh300 each. Sammy Mose, who prints posters and hires out his sound system for road shows, makes Sh15,000 per day.
"If I hire out the sound system with a deejay per day for the road shows, I make at least Sh15,000," he says.
Printers in the town have been busy lately. They take orders from aspirants and later contract other printers in Nairobi to do the jobs."
It has been busy. We are overwhelmed by the orders. This forces us to seek help from other printers in Nairobi," said Delip Shah, a local printer. An aspirant who did not want to be named confessed that he spends Sh150,000 for a road show per day.
"It is a costly campaign but I have to do it!" he said adding that he gets his money from his businesses.
"I do not have a sponsor yet. I'm currently depending on what I saved in the past for the campaigns," he said.
Jesse Karanja of Narc-Kenya, who quit the race citing financial constraints, said rich people who entered the race had made it difficult for him.
"Although I had my chances to make it to Parliament, I could not compete with others who are so well endowed financially," he said.
Karanja believes that if this situation continues, majority of voters will go for a wealthy man who has nothing or very little to do with the voters' wellbeing.
Besides attracting the rich and famous, the contest has other hopefuls. They include professionals, clergymen, former MPs and civic leaders. This, and the kind of posters aspirants have printed, also speak volume about their financial power and the cosmopolitan nature of the constituency.
Heavy spenders like businessman Peter Kinya (Narc-Kenya), Lee Kinyanjui (Narc-Kenya), pastor Mike Brawan (LDP), Geoffrey Asanyo (LDP) and Samuel Muigai of Narc-Kenya have printed their posters in full colour.
Printers say 1,000 full colour posters cost between Sh18,000 to Sh20,000 compared to the same number of black and white poster, which cost about Sh5,000.
It is easier to identify those spending a fortune in the campaigns by looking at the number of people joining their campaign convoy and the overwhelming presence of voters queuing outside their business premises or offices.
Their campaign convoys are always long and attract boda boda cyclists, handcart pullers and Tuk Tuk operators who are normally paid for their services.
The rich candidates have made some hotels their operation bases, paying Sh20,000 per day for meals and bookings for use of other facilities like meeting halls. "They converge here in the morning before starting their campaigns and late in the evening when they arrive to compare notes," said Peter Sena, a manager of a local hotel.
The race has also attracted aspirants from outside the constituency, the most visible one being former Nakuru North Member of Parliament Bishop Joseph Kimani, and one time Parklands MP Isaac Wachira Waweru.
Being a cosmopolitan area, the voting pattern here is largely unpredictable.
Although, the opposition has prevailed in all elections held since the advent of multi-party politics in 1992, analysts believe that the ruling elite is advantaged and on the right footing.
Among those viewed as front-runners on the Narc-Kenya ticket include a respected business entrepreneur and real estate investor Peter Kinya, the founder member and chairman of the Nakuru Business Association (NBA).
Another businessman who has taken the town by storm is petroleum dealer Lee Kinyanjui. The University of Nairobi graduate enjoys backing from the youth.
So far the party's ticket has attracted only one woman - Pastor Zipporah Kimani of Faith Harvest Ministries. Others in Narc-Kenya are Samuel Muigai, the late Mirugi's son William Kariuki and pastor George Mwaura. Kanu has attracted political rookies, notably former MP David Manyara and Ms Selina Sego.
Nevertheless, a myriad other factors are likely to influence the election here and eventually determine who is to be elected in the by-election.
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