Daughter of Ex-Powerful MP And Vocal Governor Facing Big Test After Bitter Fallout With Gachagua

Nakuru County Governor Susan Kihika who is aiming to become the first Governor in the history of the county to be reelected

Since the advent of devolution, Nakuru County has never seen a Governor re-elected for a second term. 

The politics of Kenya's fourth city has been defined by a one-term cycle.

The first Governor of Nakuru was Kinuthia Mbugua, a former administrator who also had a stint as the Adminstration Police Training College Commandant. 

Mbugua was overwhelmingly elected in 2013 on a TNA party ticket before suffering a humiliating defeat in the hands of former MP, Lee Kinyanjui in 2017 in their battle for the Jubilee Party ticket.

After the then President Uhuru Kenyatta's intervention, Mbugua opted out of the race and was given a soft landing after being appointed as State House Controller.

But five years later, Kinyanjui also suffered the same fate as he was swept aside by the UDA party wave in the region. And that's how the then Nakuru County senator Susan Kihika clinched the seat.

Fast forward, as the clock ticks towards the 2027 general election, Kihika is keen to break fhe one-term jinx and become the first Governor in the history of Nakuru County to be reelected.

A political heavyweight in her own rights, Susan, who is the daughter of former powerful Molo MP Dickson Kihika Kimani, is more than determined to secure a second term in office. However, it will not be a walk in the park for her.

If Kinyanjui, who is now serving as trade and industrialization Cabinet Secretary opts to challenge her for the seat, then expect political embers to flare.