Mr Kiziah Philbert with President Uhuru Kenyatta at a Commonwealth event in Malta. He had declared his interest in the Migori senatorial seat when he started receiving death threats. [Photo/ Courtesy of KP]
A young Kenyan with presidential ambitions says his life is in danger after announcing his desire to run for political office. Kiziah Philbert, a former Commonwealth Youth president for Africa and Europe, says he started receiving death threats late last year when he was in the process of registering his ‘New Generation Democratic Party (GDP)’. A former Mr Moi University, Mr Philbert, popularly referred to as ‘Supertall’ by his peers, says he was eyeing the Migori County senatorial seat in this year’s general election. The death threats he has received through his phone calls have left him quite unsettled, he says. “I was thinking of joining the opposition as a strong youth reformist through my own political party and to run for Senate Migori County,” said Mr Philbert, who is now in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. This comes after a number of candidates who have declared their interest to run for political office have been killed in unclear circumstances in the recent weeks. In February, gunmen killed a member of county assembly and a parliamentary aspirant in Baringo. The killers are yet to be brought to book. Months earlier, top government Jacob Juma was killed in cold blood while he was driving home, and his killers are yet to be charged. The former Commonwealth Youth Ambassador says he planned to use his two-year experience representing the youth in two continents, during which he met with more than 30 presidents and other world leaders, including the UK’s Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles of Wales, in transforming leadership in Kenya and placing the youth at the centre of the country’s affairs. “I wanted to open up a way of hope and more confidence among young people in Kenya and the whole world. There is so much possible change through active youth participation in politics,” he says in an email conversation. Before being elected into the Commonwealth position in 2013, Mr Philbert led a number of of charitable projects, including Sponsor A Child Kenya and Youth Synergy Kenya. His charitable work was recognized in 2012 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, when he was named the best idea-developer in the world, beating contestants from 183 countries. He came up with the most impressive idea on how to improve early childhood education development. “Through Youth Synergy Kenya, I have managed to bring together over 3,000 young Kenyans of similar interest in leadership, entrepreneurship and volunteerism,” the 29-year-old says. “It is a pretty new organization and we are still working on a lot around it and set up,” he adds.