The appointment of
Monicah Juma to the Cabinet was supposed to evoke joy in Ukambani owing to the
fact that the Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary is a daughter of the community.
ALSO READ: Mutua, Kalonzo meeting shakes Ukambani That, however, has not been the case as it
turned out last weekend when she held a low key homecoming ceremony at her
father’s home in Nuu Ward, Mwingi Central Constituency, Kitui County. Save for
Governor Charity Ngilu who sent her deputy Wathe Nzau to represent her,
virtually all other local leaders gave the party a wide berth. Sources divulged
the boycott was meant to send a signal to Juma and President Kenyatta that she
does not represent the interests of the Kamba community in the Cabinet. The CS
is married to Prof Peter Kagwanja. Through sheer hard-work and competence, she
rose from an ambassador to a Principal Secretary and to a CS. Stay informed
while on the go by subscribing to the Standard Group SMS service. Text the word
‘NEWS’ to 22840. Curiously, Jubilee’s Kitui East MP Nimrod Mbai, Victor Munyaka
(Machakos Town) and Rachael Nyamai (Kitui South) snubbed the event. Speaking to
Sunday Standard, Mr Mbai claimed Juma was being fronted in a mischievous scheme
to divide the Kamba community. Divide the community ALSO READ: Ukambani MPs back
Ruto for 2022 The MP said it was curious for the CS to hold her homecoming
party at her father’s home just when Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka had decided
to support the government’s agenda and the handshake between President Kenyatta
and NASA leader Raila Odinga. “Her so-called homecoming was pioneered by
political mafias to fool and divide the community, that’s why we deliberately
kept off. Besides, Monica has no attachment in Kitui and so she cannot
represent our interests,” Mbai said. The legislator argued that in Kamba
culture, when a woman is married off, she can only represent the community
where she is married. He also claimed that President Kenyatta garnered many
votes in Ukambani during the repeat presidential poll and therefore the
community needed a substantive position in the Cabinet. “As it is now, the
Kamba community is not represented in the Cabinet and we are requesting the
President to consider appointing somebody from our community for regional
balance,” Mbai pointed out. And like Mbai, former Mwingi Central MP Joe Mutambu
who contested on Jubilee ticket in the August 8 elections and who was one of
the leading lights during party campaigns in the region said on Juma’s
appointment, the community was duped. Mr Mutambu who comes from the same village
as Juma dismissed her homecoming party as a joke and an insult to the
community. “She is trying to justify that she comes from Ukambani and at the
same time she belongs to Muranga, that’s why over the last five months she has
held five homecoming parties in different places. We want to know who is
footing the bills,” he charged. The former MP said he welcomed President
Kenyatta in Ukambani, and thus has a duty to tell him the truth about the
disquiet in the region. “Kambas have zero representation in the Cabinet. We
might not demonstrate in the streets but deep in our hearts the community is
hurting,” said Mutambu. Competence To buttress the point that Juma cannot
represent the region when she is married outside, Mutambu gave the examples of
Busia Woman Rep Florence Mutua and former Kwale Woman Rep Zainabu Chidzuga,
both of whom hail from Ukambani. Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua also poured scorn
on Juma’s event. The senator skipped the event and instead joined the senate
committee on roads, transport and infrastructure to inspect the Kibwezi – Kitui
– Mwingi road. “What does homecoming mean? Doesn’t it mean going to your home?
So is Monicah’s home not in Murang’a County?” posed Wambua. For Mwala MP
Vincent Musau, the CS has been lukewarm in her relations with area leaders and
has done little effort to come closer to them. She said area leaders, including
those working with Jubilee, do not feel her. “I can’t even call it a boycott.
We just do not relate with her at all to the level of attending her events. I
wish her well but I wish she learned from her predecessor Cleopha Mailu,” he
said. The critical leaders, however, note that Juma deserves the Cabinet
position owing to her professional competence but this should not be used to
hoodwink Ukambani region. The hushed party was attended by Cabinet Secretaries
Cecily Kariuki (Health) and Simon Chelugui (Water), Kenyan ambassador to Uganda
Kiema Kilonzo, Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet and former Equity
Bank chairman Peter Munga. During the fete, the CS said she was happy to be
back home and delivered greetings from President Kenyatta and Kalonzo. Some of
the speakers said that Juma was now ripe for a higher political seat. Our
efforts to reach out to the CS for comments were futile.
Monicah Juma to the Cabinet was supposed to evoke joy in Ukambani owing to the
fact that the Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary is a daughter of the community.
ALSO READ: Mutua, Kalonzo meeting shakes Ukambani That, however, has not been the case as it
turned out last weekend when she held a low key homecoming ceremony at her
father’s home in Nuu Ward, Mwingi Central Constituency, Kitui County. Save for
Governor Charity Ngilu who sent her deputy Wathe Nzau to represent her,
virtually all other local leaders gave the party a wide berth. Sources divulged
the boycott was meant to send a signal to Juma and President Kenyatta that she
does not represent the interests of the Kamba community in the Cabinet. The CS
is married to Prof Peter Kagwanja. Through sheer hard-work and competence, she
rose from an ambassador to a Principal Secretary and to a CS. Stay informed
while on the go by subscribing to the Standard Group SMS service. Text the word
‘NEWS’ to 22840. Curiously, Jubilee’s Kitui East MP Nimrod Mbai, Victor Munyaka
(Machakos Town) and Rachael Nyamai (Kitui South) snubbed the event. Speaking to
Sunday Standard, Mr Mbai claimed Juma was being fronted in a mischievous scheme
to divide the Kamba community. Divide the community ALSO READ: Ukambani MPs back
Ruto for 2022 The MP said it was curious for the CS to hold her homecoming
party at her father’s home just when Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka had decided
to support the government’s agenda and the handshake between President Kenyatta
and NASA leader Raila Odinga. “Her so-called homecoming was pioneered by
political mafias to fool and divide the community, that’s why we deliberately
kept off. Besides, Monica has no attachment in Kitui and so she cannot
represent our interests,” Mbai said. The legislator argued that in Kamba
culture, when a woman is married off, she can only represent the community
where she is married. He also claimed that President Kenyatta garnered many
votes in Ukambani during the repeat presidential poll and therefore the
community needed a substantive position in the Cabinet. “As it is now, the
Kamba community is not represented in the Cabinet and we are requesting the
President to consider appointing somebody from our community for regional
balance,” Mbai pointed out. And like Mbai, former Mwingi Central MP Joe Mutambu
who contested on Jubilee ticket in the August 8 elections and who was one of
the leading lights during party campaigns in the region said on Juma’s
appointment, the community was duped. Mr Mutambu who comes from the same village
as Juma dismissed her homecoming party as a joke and an insult to the
community. “She is trying to justify that she comes from Ukambani and at the
same time she belongs to Muranga, that’s why over the last five months she has
held five homecoming parties in different places. We want to know who is
footing the bills,” he charged. The former MP said he welcomed President
Kenyatta in Ukambani, and thus has a duty to tell him the truth about the
disquiet in the region. “Kambas have zero representation in the Cabinet. We
might not demonstrate in the streets but deep in our hearts the community is
hurting,” said Mutambu. Competence To buttress the point that Juma cannot
represent the region when she is married outside, Mutambu gave the examples of
Busia Woman Rep Florence Mutua and former Kwale Woman Rep Zainabu Chidzuga,
both of whom hail from Ukambani. Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua also poured scorn
on Juma’s event. The senator skipped the event and instead joined the senate
committee on roads, transport and infrastructure to inspect the Kibwezi – Kitui
– Mwingi road. “What does homecoming mean? Doesn’t it mean going to your home?
So is Monicah’s home not in Murang’a County?” posed Wambua. For Mwala MP
Vincent Musau, the CS has been lukewarm in her relations with area leaders and
has done little effort to come closer to them. She said area leaders, including
those working with Jubilee, do not feel her. “I can’t even call it a boycott.
We just do not relate with her at all to the level of attending her events. I
wish her well but I wish she learned from her predecessor Cleopha Mailu,” he
said. The critical leaders, however, note that Juma deserves the Cabinet
position owing to her professional competence but this should not be used to
hoodwink Ukambani region. The hushed party was attended by Cabinet Secretaries
Cecily Kariuki (Health) and Simon Chelugui (Water), Kenyan ambassador to Uganda
Kiema Kilonzo, Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet and former Equity
Bank chairman Peter Munga. During the fete, the CS said she was happy to be
back home and delivered greetings from President Kenyatta and Kalonzo. Some of
the speakers said that Juma was now ripe for a higher political seat. Our
efforts to reach out to the CS for comments were futile.
