Waiguru urges Mt Kenya voters to judge candidates beyond party labels

Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru has urged Mt Kenya voters to assess candidates by their records rather than automatically following a popular political party.

Citizen Digital reported her remarks on November 1 from the funeral of Joseph Nduati Kamachu, father of nominated Senator Veronica Maina. Waiguru also called for aspirants to be allowed to present their programmes without intimidation or violence.

The appeal brings two questions together: how voters choose leaders and whether competing candidates can campaign freely. The first concerns political judgment; the second concerns the conditions in which that judgment can be exercised.

Performance claims still require scrutiny. A leader’s assertion that an administration has delivered is not, on its own, an audit of public spending or services. Voters need to be able to compare promises, completed work and the responsibilities attached to each office.

Party identity can communicate a collective programme, but it cannot answer every question about an individual candidate. Equally, a personal development record does not explain every consequence of a party’s national position.

The useful follow-through would be specific, comparable accounts of candidates’ records and consistent tolerance for opponents at public events. Waiguru’s appeal sets out a standard by which voters can assess the conduct of both her allies and her critics.