Kitui gubernatorial politics last weekend took unexpected twist after the Deputy Governor Penina Malonza publicly endorsed Senator David Musila to oust her boss Julius Malombe in the forthcoming elections.
Speaking when she joined Musila on a voter mobilisation drive in Waita and Mathuki in Mwingi Central, Ms Malonza pledged to support the senator’s bid to become the next governor of Kitui.
She has fallen out with Dr Malombe citing incessant frustrations by his administration over the last four years.
She termed Musila as “the incoming governor” and exuded confidence that he would floor both Malombe and Charity Ngilu who has also set her eyes on the top county job.
Malonza accused Malombe’s government of being corrupt and having lost touch with the residents and vowed to teach her boss a political lesson in the impending polls.
She is the second deputy governor in Ukambani after Machakos’ Bernard Kiala to fall out with their bosses in the countdown to the august 8 general election.
Although Malonza has not declared her candidature in the impending elections, she has in the past hinted that she plans to go for an elective post, probably the governor’s one, or retain her seat in whichever camp.
“I am not planning to go for the woman representative or a parliamentary seat but take it from me that there will be another female governorship aspirant apart from Ngilu,” she told the press recently.
Although touted as Musila’s possible running mate in 2017, Malonza has said she is still undecided on what direction to take but asserts that she will be in the senator’s camp with a clear manifesto to move the county to socio-economic prosperity.
On his part Musila cited “the county government’s failure to live up to the expectations of the people and a cartel-controlled administration” as the main reasons that motivated him to join the race so as to “deliver the locals from underdevelopment and wanting leadership.”
“Kitui has received more than Sh30 billion since inception of devolution more than four years ago but there is nothing much to show for it because the residents are still grappling with pre-devolution problems such as water scarcity, poor roads network and food insecurity,” the senator said.