In 48 hours, Damaris Wambui Waiganjo had the pleasure of associating with two major political parties gunning for the Kiambaa Parliamentary seat.
The seat fell vacant following the death of Paul Koinange who had served Kiambaa for seven years.
It all started on Saturday when Wambui together with all other Jubilee Party aspirants were invited for an interview at the Jubilee headquarters in Pangani.
Wambui, a former Kiambu County employee had expectations; however, they were cut short when Jubilee Party picked Kariri Njama to fly its flag in the Kiambaa by-election slated for July.
Angry, and distraught, she made a quick moved and decamped to Deputy President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
This would be the beginning of an agonizing weekend where she shed tears in front of the camera and make a rather dumfounding decision going back to Jubilee Party.
“It’s very painful to imagine after we’ve worked so hard to build that party – they can actually chase us out like dogs,” she said moments before UDA officials received her alongside another UDA aspirant John Njuguna Wanjiku.
Wambui said that Kiambaa people loved President Uhuru Kenyatta but “he gave his party to the dogs”.
Reaching out to her supporters, she appealed for support saying “I have been chased out at the eleventh hour, I have no place to go.”
This sent Jubilee troops to her doorstep led by Kiambu Governor James Nyoro and former Dagoretti South MP Dennis Waweru.
On Sunday, they were holed up in a meeting trying to persuade her to drop her stand which she eventually did unwillingly.
“After a lot of soul-searching and advise from my supporters in Kiambaa, immediate family members and political mentors that I’ve decided to withdraw my yester night’s remarks and that I will remain in Jubilee Party and continue to support the President’s ideas,” she said in a statement late Sunday.
While issuing this statement, she broke down at some point sending a message of coercion.
