With 2017 General election bells ringing louder by day, politicians from all walks across the country continue to come out to declare their bid for various elective seats hoping to either dethrone the incumbents or retain their seats.
However, not all seats are attracting much hype like the one various gubernatorial seats have seen. The seats are being coveted by various powerful politicians who perceive them to have much clout and influence that can only be second to the presidency.
In some counties like Kiambu, Mombasa, Meru to name but a few, battle lines are already drawn and conclusions drawn that 2017 gubernatorial race will be a two or three-horse affair. Murang'a county is no exception.
The incumbent Governor Mwangi Wa Iria is expected to square it out with Kigumo MP and perceived President Uhuru's confidant Jamlick Kamau.
However, the Murang'a gubernatorial race may just be about to get interesting if the word flying around is anything to go by. Former Gatanga MP and 2013 Eagle Coalition presidential candidate Peter Kenneth (PK) is also being taunted as being interested in the top county job. If the rumour is confirmed in the affirmative, the otherwise Murang'a County gubernatorial two horse race will be reduced to a one-horse race with that horse being none other than PK.
A large section of Murang'a County voters seems to be in agreement that if Kenneth joins the race, Wa-Iria and Kamau may have to seek political alternatives or hold on and wait to be embarrassed by PK. A joke going round is that if PK announces his candidature for the seat today, he will become the presumptive Murang'a County Governor 2018-2022 only waiting to be confirmed at the ballot box in 2017.
PK who became the first Gatanga MP to be elected twice since Gatanga constituency was hived off from the once larger Kandara constituency, has both a comparative and competitive advantage over the other two for his perceived good developmental record and proper utilisation of public funds while he served as Gatanga MP (2003-2013).
This led Gatanga to witness an unprecedented growth and development since Kenya's independence. On the other hand, Wa Iria is dogged by several scandals involving billions of money which have prompted the EACC to effect several impromptu arrests on Wa Iria who was once credited for reviving the New KCC when he served as its Managing Director.
For Kamau, there is nothing much to write home about apart from his unrivalled sycophancy of President Uhuru and the Jubilee administration. For now, Kamau and Wa Iria can just hold their breath and hope that PK's vying will only be a rumour.