“I voted for the first time in 2013. My decision to vote for Jubilee was largely based of their promise to transform kenya, as clearly captured in their 2013 manifesto:
Also being a Kikuyu, I bought into the Jubilee’s narrative that the PM, Kimundu as President Uhuru likes to call him, was using ICC to eliminate competition for the presidential elections after Uhuru told us that Raila forced Kibaki to fire him from the ministry of finance. It was therefore an easy decision on who to vote for. I voted for Jubilee.
It’s been over 4 years since then. I don’t regret voting for Uhuru then because I believe that my vote contributed to the end of his cases at the ICC.
I am sad and disappointed though, that after the end of his cases, President Kenyatta has never done anything to improve the lives of people around me.
President Uhuru has been to my town about 5 times. On those occasions, all he keeps telling us is how Raila is bad. Since I had no much information about Raila, I went out to seek information on my own.
I found out that Raila stood by SK Macharia when Moi was out to close his TV and Radio network; I found out that Raila stood with Kuguru when the government tried to close his businesses; I found out that Raila defended Master Mind tobacco when the government was fighting it; I found out Raila intervened in UK to have them lift the Miraa barn. All these businesses are owned by Kikuyus. If Raila didn’t like Kikuyus, why would he fight for them?
On politics, I found out Raila said Kibaki tosha, airlifted him to London and paid his hospital admission fees. He campaigned for him until they won the elections of 2002. He has nominated and appointed numerous Kikuyus, who latter abandon him.
Based on my research, I begun to question the motivation behind President Uhuru Kenyatta demonizing Raila.
President Uhuru has had the opportunity to improve our lives; tackle corruption; create jobs, improve the working conditions of our policemen; improve our security situation; tackle unemployment; tackle rising inflation; but he did not. The best way the president would have made Raila irrelevant was by fulfilling his election promises, but he hasn’t.
I know the president and his surrogates will return here and urge me to defend Uthamaki as a Kikuyu.
But I like the president to know that I, my relatives, or my neighbors have not benefited directly or indirectly from his government: we buy goods at the same price point our brothers from Nyanza does; we suffer the same effects of higher inflation.
As a Kikuyu, I will be voting Jubilee out. And I know many Kikuyus who will. Our voting decision is dictated by our own economic situation, which is different from those that have directly benefited from the corruption of this government.”
~Wairimu Mbuthia
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