Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru, a career civil servant whose plunge into the murky political world was shrouded by controversies after she was dropped out of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s first cabinet has now threatened to teach her former ally turned political foe, President Kenyatta, a political lesson in Mount Kenya’s succession politics as his tenure comes to an end.
Instead, she jumped ship and opted to work with President Kenyatta’s principal assistant, Deputy President William Ruto who has since fallen out with his boss with the former accusing him of wrecking and sabotaging his administration from within.
Waiguru has been on record saying that Mt Kenya region, Uhuru’s political hot bed is firmly behind Ruto who’s championing the United Democratic Movement (UDA) asserted that the Azimio la Umoja movement would be humbled during the August 9 General Election.
“We have nothing to fear. In fact, the President will be surprised that the mountain moved a long time ago and it’s solidly in the United Democratic Alliance UDA,” she said.
Waiguru further noted that the region has seen a political shift to the UDA and that Jubilee has been “dead and buried.”
“We have nothing to fear, in fact, the president will be surprised that the mountain moved a long time ago and it’s solidly in UDA,” Waiguru said.
Early this week in Mombasa, Kenyatta warned those opposed to the Azimio la Umoja coalition to prepare for a tough battle.
“I’ll vote for whoever my conscience believes in as I only have one vote. But if there is one, or even two people who listen to me, I’ll not hesitate to explain my choice of a successor,” he added.
Waiguru initially joined UDA in October 2021 citing pressure from supporters and popularity of the Bottom-Up Economic Model as factors that informed her decision.
The first term governor had been sending signals that she would abandon the ruling Jubilee Party after the courts declared the Building Bridges Initiative constitutional amendment process, which she previously supported as null and void.
The county leader was believed to be Kenyatta’s protégé after her political ladder rose under his leadership.
However, she has consistently refuted those claims terming them as unfounded allegations on her career.
“When President Kenyatta came to Kirinyaga for campaigns, he did not endorse me. He told people to choose whoever they wanted, and he will work with them. It was a hard learning curve but as a leader, I already knew I was not going for an endorsement because when you are endorsed, you don’t earn as much respect as when you fight for the position,” Waiguru said.
She began her career in the public sector by providing technical assistance to the Cabinet Office’s Public Service Reform Secretariat.
The Kirinyaga governor, who emerged the winner in 2017 was first seen in the limelight where she served as the Head of Governance and the Economic Stimulus Programme at the National Treasury, alternate to the Permanent Secretary/National Treasury in the Public Procurement Oversight Authority and advisory board and the Women Enterprise Fund Board She was successfully nominated in 2011 as one of the Top 40 under 40 women in the country, the only nominee at the time from the Public Service.
She was the director of Integrated Financial Management and Information System (IFMIS), and the Head of Governance at the National Treasury.
She served briefly as a senior public sector manager/assistant Vice President, at Citi-group.
Previously, she served as a technical advisor in the Cabinet Office, Office of the President on secondment from the World Bank.
Waiguru has served as the alternate to the Permanent Secretary National Treasury in the Public Procurement Oversight Authority Advisory Board and the Women Enterprise Fund Board.
In September 2015 she was appointed as the Devolution Cabinet Secretary.
And as a notable minister in the president’s first cabinet, she was implicated in the Sh791million National Youth Service (NYS). scandal and was asked to record a statement over the disappearance of Sh791 million from the ministry.
In November 2015, Waiguru stepped down from her position due to pressure from the public and the opposition and asked the President to consider giving her lighter duties.
In February 2016, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission cleared her of all her charges.
She then declared her interest in politics and registered for TNA membership and vied for the Kirinyaga gubernatorial seat where she won after garnering 161,373 votes against Martha Karua who managed 122,091 votes.
Karua contested the election and filed a petition in court seeking to have Waiguru’s election nullified citing election irregularities but lost the petitions at the High court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court.