By Linet Wafula
NAIROBI—Cynthia Muge won the Nandi County Woman Representative becoming one of the youngest former member of the county assembly to secure a seat in the 13th parliament.
The 29 year old Muge won the seat under the UDA party ticket during the just concluded elections after garnering 275,500 votes.
She had earlier served as Member of County Assembly for Kilibwoni Ward when she was elected at a tender age of 24, becoming one of the youngest member to be elected.
County Elections Manager Silas Rotich declared her the winner after she beat other competitors with a landslide margin as the closest contestant Stella Ruto who was an independent candidate managed a paltry 22,732 votes.
Muge who was instrumental in defending gender related issues at the County Assembly pledged to take her campaign to the national platform.
“I will endeavor to deliver what I pledged during my campaign. I promise to do my best and represent my County well,” she said
Though the journey has not been rosy, Muge who is commonly known as ‘ Cheptikonyol’ a political moniker that has earned her popularity among her peers, claimed that her courage and consistency enabled her to overcome social norms that stood on her way.
“Despite my young age, people saw my potential on how I was articulating development issues in the county Assembly throughout my tenure and that’s why they believed in my leadership,” she pointed out
Born in the little known Kipsirichoi Village in Emgwen Constituency, Muge graduated from University of Nairobi in 2016 with a degree in Urban and Regional Planning and immediately announced her bid to contest for the Kilibwoni ward.
She had no party registration fee and opted to run as an independent candidate, to the shock of many she won the seat.
“Being a young woman should not limit one’s dreams and objectives in life,” she said
Previously, money and religion had been key factors in elections, but since 2017, the local people have opted for people who are vocal on TV and Radio especially those supporting Deputy President William Ruto whom they recognize as their political kingpin.
The former Moi Girls Isinya old student noted that it has been her passion to articulate socioeconomic matters pertaining women and youth in the society since she was elected. She has actively participated in the legislation process and initiated empowerment projects for the youth and women.
The former Kilibwoni MCA is the brainchild of empowerment bills include Nandi Youths Service (NYS) that has created employment to over 700 youth in the community.
