At long last Bishop Margaret Wanjiru has made it clear she will contest for the Starehe parliamentary seat on an ODM-K ticket putting to rest speculation doing the rounds that she may have quit from the race to avoid a stand-off over her stalled wedding to a South African preacher.
Her alleged quitting stemmed from the much publicized stalled wedding to South African preacher Rev. Samuel Matjeke, following a court order prompted by a suit filed by the Gachie-born cobbler cum potter James Kamangu.
The suit has put the otherwise popular bishop of the Jesus Is Alive Ministries (JIAM) in sharp focus with Kamangu playing a spoiler role of dragging the cleric into the mud. The public apparently became hostile to the way she handled the whole marriage saga.
Wanjiru's announcement to plunge into politics on an ODM-K ticket appears to have sent alarm bells ringing among the government strategists who we have learnt are out to redesign their tactics on how to cope with the flamboyant bishop who could well trounce one of president Kibaki's key pillars in the city of Nairobi, cabinet minister Maina Kamanda.
In the on-going suit, the state it is claimed is the one that prodded Kamangu to file the suit demanding to be recognized as the biological father of Wanjiru's two sons; Stephen Ndimu and Evans Kariuki. Kamangu had revealed that Wanjiru was his customary law wife between 1978-1979/1980.
Earlier on Kamangu had indicated that he would pursue the matter in court for the truth had been laid bare with documents obtained at the Pumwani maternity hospital which showed that Wanjiru's other names bore the name Kamangu as husband while the children names also bore the same name, Kamangu plus that of the couple's parents. Ndimu is Kamangu's paternal father while Kariuki is Wanjiru's father.
Minister Kamanda instructed the hospital administration to issue certificates to Kamangu.The prodding thus made Kamangu to change his mind to go to court where his prayers to have the wedding stopped were granted in the first round of the case. The much publicized wedding was to be in February 10 2007.
Come the second round, Kamangu still won the second round of the case that barred Wanjiru's lawyer Fred Ojiambo not to cross examine Kamangu.
Kamangu's lawyer C.N. Kihara argued that the prayers were laced with malice and vendetta. Surprisingly, Kamangu's personality from the previous one of a run-down, luckless man who has seen better days is changing for the better with each day that passes. He was even accompanied by a bodyguard who conspicuously could be pointed out mingling with Kamangu's relative from the court chambers. Of note again Kamangu equally has a prominent lawyer in the name of C.N. Kihara.
Besides the brief case, Kamangu is now able to put on a tie. It is even said that he has been promised by the state of a ready market to sell off his pots without a hustle.
The whole plot is to disorganize Wanjiru ahead of a the polls so that she is viewed as a person who has no respect for family values(sic) as she has destroyed an important social fabric in the name of marriage.
But defending her on the day that she joined ODM-K via the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) the party's de facto leader Raila Odinga noted that all that was being witnessed was just but 'propaganda' meant to smear the bishop.
Cognizance of the smear ahead and taking Kalonzo Musyoka's caution seriously on what politics is made of (read dirty game) the tough talking bishop said even if her opponents used all sorts of dirty politics, she was determined to win the Starehe seat.
Sinc the saga started, Kamanda enjoys state house links has used over shs. 2.5 million. The seat has also attracted the attention of Nairobi Stock exchange boss Jimnah Mbaru who has however not come out forcefully.
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