Ex-Chief of Staff Narrates Defying Kenyatta’s Advice, Runs for 2022 Election
Nzioka Waita, the ex-State House Chief of Staff, has shared his experience of going against the advice of his previous superior, the retired President Uhuru Kenyatta. The advice was given to him to not participate as a candidate in the 2022 General Election.
Waita, who held the position of State House Chief of Staff for seven years, opted to run for the Machakos gubernatorial position in the 2022 General Election, disregarding the counsel provided by Uhuru. In the election process, he secured the second position by garnering a total of 129,181 votes. This was in contrast to the incumbent Machakos governor, Wavinya Ndeti, who received 226,609 votes.
Addressing the Engage platform on Thursday, August 10th, the ex-staff member disclosed that he had spoken on a prior occasion to Uhuru, about a year ahead of the elections, to request his approval before venturing into the realm of politics.
Nonetheless, the ex-president questioned whether Waita comprehended the challenges inherent in the realm of politics and if he was prepared for whatever consequences that might arise.
“In October 2021, I gathered the courage and told my boss that I was interested in acquiring a seat. He asked whether I was looking for a job in the next government, which I declined and said that I wanted to vie for an elective office,” Waita said.
“Usually he was multitasking, so he stopped what he was doing and looked at me and started laughing. He said; ‘You think this is like the job you have here? You know politics?”
After taking Waita’s appeal into account, Uhuru advised him to gather additional input from three additional individuals, namely his parents, his spouse, and Kalonzo Musyoka from the Wiper party.
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“My mum wondered why I wanted to do it and after explaining, she gave me the green light. My wife was also in shock but it took some convincing words for her to agree. I went to him (Kalonzo) and found a way of bringing up the subject. Without thinking about it, he said that when he gets in office he will give me a position so I need to stay out of it,” Nzioka said.
He gathered up the courage to ask the Wiper leader to reconsider his statement, to which he said he would think about it.
The previous candidate for the Machakos governorship was bewildered by the comments and was on the brink of contemplating the possibility of pursuing a career in the private industry.
Nevertheless, a conversation with his undisclosed mentor provided him with the confidence to accept the role of Waita’s campaign leader.
Full of assurance in his correct choice, Waita went up to Uhuru holding both the decision and a letter of resignation.
“When tendering my resignation, Uhuru asked whether I was sure about the decision or whether we should burn the document. I told him that I had made up my mind,” he reiterated.
The politician conducted his campaign using the Chama Cha Uzalendo (CCU) platform and later became a part of the Azimio coalition. He disclosed that throughout the campaign, he toured 40 districts and participated in 6 gatherings daily, resulting in a cumulative total of 480 meetings.
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During the storytelling of his experience, he disclosed the challenges he encountered from individuals within Azimio who favored Ndeti as the coalition’s contender. This was because a significant portion of his campaign events were interrupted by a group of young people.
“I remember how once I was told Raila would come to Machakos and endorse my competitor. I asked, Good gracious! After all these meetings, begging people for money to support my campaigns, these guys are going to destroy me in one day? I said No and prayed.”
Despite the challenges, he maintained his belief that he had chosen correctly by running for the position of governor.
“I got 130,000 votes, six times the capacity of Nyayo Stadium, from every corner of Machakos. People who said I don’t speak Kikamba had big ears or didn’t care if I was born and bred in Nairobi, what they saw is the substance that I had in my head, they listened and could see a future. I feel bad that I let them down, but I don’t feel bad that I tried – Just try!” he said.
Ex-Chief of Staff Narrates Defying Kenyatta’s Advice, Runs for 2022 Election
