Kirinyaga Governor Seat 2017: The Billion-Shilling Prize Everyone Wanted
Many voters think a governor is just a local leader. That is a mistake. In Kenya, a governor is one of the most powerful people in the country. A governor controls the county budget. That means all the money for roads, drugs in hospitals, water pipes, markets, youth projects, and emergency funds. A governor also influences who gets tenders. Tenders are contracts to supply goods or build things for the county. One single tender can make a businessman rich for life. That is why the race for Kirinyaga governor in 2017 was not small. It was a battle for control of billions. On one side was Martha Karua. On the other side was Ann Waiguru. Karua promised clean leadership. Waiguru ran a machine that looked like it had endless cash. Trucks, dancers, sound systems, fuel, agents in every village. Anyone who tried to count the cost knew this was not normal campaign spending. This was serious investment. Investors do not invest for free. They expect profit. So what profit did they see in Kirinyaga...