Ngilu, who has been in active politics since the introduction of multiparty in 1992, lost her political grip in an area where she has always gone against the tide.
Ngilu was whipped by Wiper Democratic Movement party chairman Musila with 157,517 votes. Ngilu came second with 110,813 votes.
Ngilu’s downfall was received with happiness and sadness in unequal measure, according to voters interviewed by The Standard in Kitui Central Constituency.
Ngilu has represented Kitui Central in Parliament uninterrupted for 20 years. She was the first female MP for Kitui Central, which had previously been male dominated.
She first went into Parliament on a Social Democratic Party ticket after dislodging former powerful Cabinet minister George Ndotto in a hotly contested race.
Ngilu earned another feat in the country’s national politics when she contested the presidential position in 1997 in a crowded race pitting her against political heavyweights Mwai Kibaki, Raila Odinga, retired President Daniel Moi and the late vice-president Kijana Wamalwa. She emerged fourth in the race.
A voter said Ngilu is now headed for early retirement from active politics and attributed her political demise to how she has been treating her rival, Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka. “Ngilu has brought the defeat upon herself because she has consistently been fighting and belittling the VP and other leaders from the region. This has portrayed the Kamba community as divided and lacking direction,” said the voter.
He accused the Water minister of waging personal war against her opponents in any elective positions she is vying for.
Opportune moment
“Ngilu has lately perfected the art of undermining and fighting other leaders to build her political career. This has not gone down well with residents who were only waiting for the opportune moment to teach her a lesson. Her loss was expected,” Lena Mutunga, a businesswoman in Kitui town said yesterday.
Ms Mutunga, who revealed that she had voted for Ngilu in the past, noted that the minister’s development record was wanting, adding that she had worked with a lot of insolence.
She said scandals in the Water ministry and her CDF office contributed immensely to her defeat. The businesswoman added that Ngilu’s departure from the Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s camp set her against the electorate.
“The Prime Minister appointed Ngilu to two powerful dockets of Health and Water yet she had the audacity to set the community against him. Clearly, this portrayed the minister as a very dishonest person who cannot be relied on,” she said.
Many are waiting to see whether she will leave the murky waters of politics. “We didn’t see Ngilu losing, but since it has happened in clear, free, fair and credible elections, life has to go on. We will continue monitoring the presidential results. Ngilu is a democrat, she would not bolt out of elective politics yet,” noted Nganga, her spokesperson.
He noted that in Kitui Central Constituency, there were electoral malpractices. He said if IEBC would not address the issues, they would take legal action.- standard
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