Bishop Margaret Wanjiru has revived a bitter chapter from the 2022 Nairobi governor race, alleging that the UDA nomination system was reopened at night after it had closed with her as the party’s only candidate.
Wanjiru, who leads the Kenya Moja Movement party, claims another candidate was entered into the system after the nomination deadline, a move she described as deception.
“How they opened the systems in the night and slotted in somebody else, I do not know. I call that deception,” she said on Radio Generation on Tuesday.
Wanjiru said she had spent years building her political base in Nairobi and was still the sole UDA candidate for governor when the party’s nomination process closed.
She said she was later convinced to abandon the gubernatorial contest and seek the Senate seat after being assured that her supporters would remain with her.
“They said we will take the senatorial position so that we don't lose your voters,” she said, adding that she went on to secure almost 600,000 votes.
Wanjiru also claimed she had been promised a Cabinet Secretary position after the election, but said the offer was never fulfilled.
“They said we will give you a CS position, but they didn't. What do you call that? Deception,” she said.
She ultimately lost the Senate contest to ODM’s Edwin Sifuna, who received 716,876 votes against her 524,091.
Wanjiru’s political journey in Nairobi stretches back to 2007, when she won the Starehe parliamentary seat on an ODM ticket. She later served as Assistant Minister for Housing in the Grand Coalition Government.
After leaving Parliament in 2013, she remained active in Nairobi politics, making unsuccessful bids for the Senate and governor’s positions.
Ahead of the 2022 General Election, Wanjiru initially sought the Nairobi governorship on a UDA ticket but later stepped aside for Governor Johnson Sakaja following negotiations within the Kenya Kwanza coalition.
She has since returned to the Nairobi governor race as political activity gathers pace ahead of the 2027 General Election.