Africa-Press – Kenya. Former Mwala Constituency Member of Parliament John Mutua Katuku will vie for the vacant Machakos Senate seat following an announcement on December 23, 2020.
The former Minister for Water was unveiled as the Maendeleo Chap Chap (MCC) party’s candidate as the county braces for a by-election.
This is after the seat was declared vacant after the untimely demise of Senator Boniface Mutinda Kabaka who was laid to rest on December, 22.
“As Kenyans are aware, Machakos lost one of its most prolific sons, Senator Boniface Mutinda Kabaka who was buried yesterday. We continue to condole with the family, friends and our great people and wish the very best of his immediate family going forward.
“To continue his legacy, after extensive consultations with party leadership, aspirants and people of Machakos, we are pleased to announce that John Mutua Katuku has joined Maendeleo Chap Chap and will be the party’s candidate in the forthcoming Senate by-election for Machakos County,” a statement by MCC Party Leader Alfred Mutua read in part.
The race to succeed the late Senator Kabaka had attracted interests from a number of aspirants including the party’s 2017 candidate Carlos Henry Kioko, Bernard Mungata and Peter Mutie.
The Machakos Governor stated that the three aspirants in consensus agreed to support Katuku and back his bid for Senate.
“We have chosen Katuku because he is an experienced politician having served for two terms as MP and as a Cabinet Minister in the retired President Mwai Kibaki government.
“Hon Katuku is a development-oriented leader who has the plight of people and their rights in his heart. He is well versed with the workings of government and Parliament hence will not need orientation once elected considering the short period remaining before 2022.
“We don’t want to waste the precious time of the people of Machakos by electing greenhorns or uneducated people who are not able to legislate inside Parliament,” Governor Mutua stated.
Katuku holds a Masters Degree in Sociology.
