There are many good reasons why Kethi Kilonzo must win the race for Makueni senator slated for July 21st.
Let me start with the less obvious.
She is a single mother. No stats are immediately available as to how many young single mothers we have in Kenya today but at a recent crusade an altar call was made to single mothers to come out for prayer and more than half of the massive crowd came forward.
Single mothers deserve special attention by the government because they are a valuable untapped resource that can help turn round things in the banana republic. Sadly many sharp minds with lots of potential never recover from that usually accidental pregnancy. Kethi was lucky that she had such strong parents. Having a senior politician to eloquently represent the single mothers of Kenya and to be a great role model to show them what can be achieved is a great start.
The more obvious reasons why Kethi must win have to do with the Mutula Kilonzo legacy. I don't know anybody else who has contributed more in the fight for the implementation of the new constitution, especially on the thorny issue of devolution. But sadly the grim reaper did not allow Mutula to finish his work because as we speak the Mpigs are flexing their muscles and have halted much-needed funds from going to the counties and the very people who elected them. Kethi needs to finish her father's work and as fate would have it, the late senator actually introduced his daughter to the Kenyan people at the Supreme court hearings on the presidential elections weeks to his death. It was as if he was saying, let her continue my work.
But what Kenyans must know is that Kethi has had a very hard time making the decision to stand. two days ago she and her brother issued a statement saying that no member of the family would stand and that instead they would focus their efforts on building the law firm that her late father left behind. What the statement did not talk about was the pressure and even thinly veiled threats directed at her not to stand.
Kethi will just have to gather courage and prepare for the long hard fight ahead against some of the dirtiest political players in the banana republic who are all circling the seat, salivating.
She will even need to face off with the mighty TNA political machine that is committed to snatching the Makueni seat from CORD. Harun Mwau has recently been to State house to discuss the seat and observers believe that his PICK party will run as a TNA affiliate in this race.
All Kenyans of good will need to support Kethi. We badly need her kind in Kenyan politics just now.
