Senator Charles Kibiru has joined the race to succeed Anne Waiguru as the third governor of Kirinyaga County come the 2022 general elections, promising to transform the county into a shining star of devolution.
Kibiru who is sitting Senator for Kirinyaga County joins three other aspirants all seeking to oust Waiguru who include the current Kirinyaga Woman Rep Wangui Ngirici, Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua and former Kirinyaga governor Joseph Ndathi.
He said after a lot of soul-searching and deep consultations, he had decided to make a stab at the Kirinyaga gubernatorial seat.
Kibiru said for a long time and against the persistent nudging by friends and contemporaries he had been reluctant to go for the gubernatorial seat.
“For a long time and against persistent nudging by friends and contemporaries, I have been reluctant to make a stab at the Kirinyaga gubernatorial seat. However, after a lot of soul-searching and deep consultations, I have decided to run for the Kirinyaga County Governor seat come 2022,’’ said Kibiru in a statement.
He said he was now totally persuaded that together with the hard-working people of Kirinyaga, we can turn around the fortunes of our beautiful county and become a shining star in the league of Kenya’s 47 devolved units.
Kibiru said he was grateful for the people of Kirinyaga for electing him and according him an opportunity to serve them as their Senator since 2017.
His declaration did not come as a surprise because sections of Kirinyaga leaders drawn from business, council of elders and the Jubilee party had two weeks ago endorsed him as the coordinator of National Government projects in the county after Waiguru defected to DP Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party.
“The people of Kirinyaga asked me to come out and talk about the legacy of President Uhuru. The people are concerned that we may look as if we are thankless despite the great work the President has done for us,’’ said Kibiru when he accepted the role of President Uhuru’s point man in Kirinyaga.
Kibiru said it was a big honour and a huge responsibility of being the County’s spokesperson and coordinator of government projects and that he had accepted it with great zeal and promised never to abandon the people in the dark.
He said Kirinyaga people had not abandoned the President and that they would continue to stand with him to the end.