A 'celeb' election looms in Kenya
By Maina Waruru
Posted: 2007-06-13 Reads: 1376

A band of Kenya’s mainly youthful new look celebrities seem about to shake the country’s stuffy and already fragmented political image to the core. With a general election scheduled for December and a large number of new, young and celebrity conscious voters on the roll, a number of high profile “celebs” is plunging headlong into the turbulent waters of local electioneering.

A band of Kenya’s mainly youthful new look celebrities seem about to shake the country’s stuffy and already fragmented political image to the core.  With a general election scheduled for December and a large number of new, young and celebrity conscious voters on the roll, a number of high profile “celebs” is plunging headlong into the turbulent waters of local electioneering.

The celebs range from radio presenters, musicians and comedians who have either been wooed by the two political coalitions or who have decided on their own to ride an obvious tide of mainly youthful support.  Much of this is a result of the liberalisation of Kenya’s airwaves some eight years ago which provided a radical shake-up of the stuffy image of the local broadcasting.

There has also been the successful Vijana Tugutuke (the youth must arise) campaign run by the Institute of Education in Democracy.  This has brought to the fore an increasingly assertive youth , many of whom have now registered as voters and many of whom seem heartily disillusioned with the political old guard.

Given the demographics of the country, these young voters, as a bloc, could be the crucial determinant in the coming elections.  They are also the group which tends to read most avidly the entertainment and lifestyle pages with their reports of the comings and goings of celebs who are often their role models.

Despite the fact that there are two major political parties, the National Rainbow Coalition (Narc) and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) contesting, it is individual politicians who are today making the running.  This is hardly surprising, since both major parties are coalitions of various parties and groups and sometimes even have overlapping memberships.

In political party terms it is all very confusing.  So it is personalities that the party strategists feel will carry the day.  Hence the careful wooing of various celebs.  But some of the celebs seem to share the disgruntlement of many of their fans with the traditional party structures and so intend to “go it alone”.

Foremost among the declared independent candidates is comedian Peter Kaimenyi, known more popularly as Kajairu or Jairos.  Apart from television performances, he is also a presenter on the Kiss 100 Fm radio station.  He has announced that he will contest Nairobi’s Embakasi parliamentary seat, challenging the incumbent, the combative and politically experienced David Mwenje.

So far, politics has been anything but a joke for the comedian who has already received a rough initiation into his new calling.  When he addressed a meeting in the Kayole area, the police swooped and he was bundled off to a cell in the Eastlands police station for allegedly addressing “an unlicensed meeting”.  He was later released and is continuing to campaign

The experience of Jairos has also not apparently affected his fellow comedian and radio presenter Walter Mong’are (“Nyambane”) who is campaigning to win the Westlands parliamentary seat in Nairobi from sitting MP Fred Gumo, who is reputedly one of the toughest political fighters around.

Gumo is also accused of playing the tribal card and tends to carry most support in the crime ridden Kengemi slums which house a large number of voters from his own Luhyo community.  In the past there have been allegations that Gumo also “busses in” additional Luhyo voters from other areas to register and to vote in Kagemi. 

Whether the comedian and radio celeb can overcome this volatile mix of party and tribe is moot.  But he is not giving up and continues to visit and speak throughout the constituency, concentrating on Kagemi.

Sounding more confident is former NTV Swahili language news anchor, Mustafa Idd.  He has lined up with the ODM to contest the coastal constituency of Bahari against Narc’s Joe Hamisi. 

But the celeb with arguably the best chance of becoming an MP is Linus Kaikai, a former television news editor and news reader who is contesting the Kilgoris seat in the heart of Maasailand for the ODM.  His opponent is immigration minister John Konchellah  who is completing a quiet, controversy and fairly publicity-free first term in parliament.

Language and tribe may also be factors in the campaign by Gathoni Wa Muchomba who gave up her very popular slot on the Kikuyu language radio station Inooro Fm earlier this year to concentrate on political campaigning for the Narc in the Maragwa constituency.  Narc insiders maintain that she will have an easy win over the sitting parliamentarian, Elias Mbau.

Other media celebs vying to enter parliament include Njogu Njoroge of the Kikuyu language  Radio Kameme Fm who has put himself forward for the Molo constituency in Nakuru, Citizen Radio’s Wambugu Kanoru who is standing in Mathira, and Kihara Gathua of Inooro who plans to contest the Ndaragwa seat in the central Kenya stronghold of narc.

Also trying to cash in of the youth vote is the man who, nearly 20 years ago, became the youngest ever parliamentarian.   In a bye election in 1989 the then 22-year-old Kimathi technical institute student, Waihenya Ndirangu, beat off a host of seasoned old guards to win the Nyeri seat.   Now a faded celeb, he is a scrap metal dealer in Nairobi, and is calling on the youth to rally to his cause as he campaigns for the parliamentary seat of Kasarani.

But not all the celebs — current or faded —entering politics have their sights set on parliament.  Popular comedian and cartoonist John Kairie (“KJ”) of the famous Redykulass entertainment troupe, is taking his first step at local government level.  He wants to serve on the Nairobi city council, because, as he admits, politics “runs in the family”.

His father is Waweru Ng'ethe, who is best known for contesting the presidency in the 2002 poll, on a Chama cha Umma (Party of People) ticket.  A former teacher, he represented the Kandara constituency in Maragwa district from 1984 to 1988.

KJ has yet to announce the district for which he will be standing, but given his television appearances and his cartoons in the Sunday Nation newspaper, he has a popular following throughout the city.  KJ on the council therefore seems a shoe-in.

Despite her popularity, the same cannot be said for gospel musician Esther Wahome who has also declared her intention to stand for council, band has yet to name the district.  The extreme gender bias in Kenyan society and politics and the possible clash between her expressed faith and the murk and mendacity of politics, even at a local level may see her fail.