Meru Governor Kirautu Murungi has been voted out after maintaining electoral seats for the last 30 years.
Kiraitu has lost the Meru Governorship to incumbent Women Rep Kawira Mwangaza, who garnered 209,158 votes, followed by Senator Mithika Linturi who got 183, 859. Kiraitu came in third with 110,850 votes.
Speaking after being announced the winner Kawira stated that the contest was tough but praised Vod and her supporters for emerging the victor.
“It is is day of wonders and I thank my deputy governor-elect, Isaac Mutuma, who has made this journey come true and not to forget my husband Baicu Murega. I want to promise you that Meru will be the best county. I also promise you sustainable development because we shall deliver.” She stated.
Kiraitu, who has not yet conceded, announced in 2020 that he was preparing for a dignified exit from politics and intended to resign if he won the second term in 2022.
To the amazement of his own belief, the seasoned Meru politician, who has never lost an election since 1992, suffers a historic defeat.
The Harvard-educated lawyer is one of the country’s longest-serving public officials, having been elected Imenti South Member of Parliament in 1992.
Kiraitu was running on the Devolution Party of Kenya (DPK) ticket, a party he created in 2021. If re-elected, this would have been his seventh term as an elected leader.
In 2017, he campaigned on a Jubilee ticket and received 281,737 votes, while his major opponent at the time, Peter Munya, ran on a Party of National Unity (PNU) ticket and received 232,558 votes.
In February of this year, Munya abruptly dropped out of the contest in favor of Kiraitu after striking a deal with the Azimio coalition to continue working as Agriculture Cabinet Secretary if the alliance’s presidential candidate, Raila Odinga, won.
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