How Former Longest Serving Female MP Ended Up Becoming Governor After Ditching Uhuru For Ruto

Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire ( Photo Courtesy)

When Cecily Mutitu Mbarire was nominated to Parliament in 2002, little did she know that she will end up becoming one of the most consequential female politicians in the history of Kenya.

Twice elected to represent Runyenjes constituency; first in 2007 and then in 2013, Mbarire would go on to spend 20 years in Parliament. By the time of her exit in office in 2022, she was one of the two longest serving female MPs in the country.

A shrewd politician, Mbarire has always played her cards well. It is no doubt that, by ditching President Uhuru for President-elect William Ruto, she ended up becoming Embu Governor during the August 9 general election.

Having failed in her bid in 2017 to unseat his predecessor Martin Wambora, Mbarire went back to the drawing board strategizing on how to bounce back.

Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire ( Photo Courtesy)

By 2020, she was clearly allied with the Deputy President following the latter's bitter fallout with President Kenyatta. At the time, the Mount Kenya region had quickly abandoned Uhuru in favour of Dr Ruto.

Having been ousted by President Kenyatta as the National Assembly Deputy Majority Whip, Mbarire was paying the price of sticking with Ruto.

But in 2022, she rose from the 2020 humiliation to political greatness. Once she clinched the UDA party ticket during the April nominations, it was clear that no one could stop her.

During the August 9 general election, she was overwhelmingly elected as Embu Governor after trouncing her bitter rival, Lenny Kivuti, a one-time area Senator.

Content created and supplied by: LarryKatana (via Opera News )