Kenyan politics has produced many extraordinary twists, but few political journeys have attracted as much attention as that of former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu.
Long before he became Kiambu governor, Waititu’s political career was linked to two parliamentary by-elections held after the deaths of sitting MPs.
The first was in Embakasi in 2008.
The second came in Kabete in 2015.
In both cases, Waititu emerged victorious after the sitting MP had died violently.
The coincidence has over the years generated questions and speculation, particularly online. However, the circumstances surrounding the killings and the subsequent elections should be kept separate from claims about who was responsible for the deaths unless supported by evidence.
Embakasi: Waititu’s first opportunity
In the December 2007 General Election, Ferdinand Waititu contested the Embakasi parliamentary seat.
He did not win.
The seat went to Mellitus Mugabe Were of ODM, who defeated Waititu and became Embakasi MP. Election records show Were received 44,325 votes, while Waititu garnered 35,557.
But Were’s time in Parliament would be tragically short.
On January 29, 2008, barely a month after the election, Were was shot dead outside his home in Nairobi.
His killing occurred during one of the most turbulent periods in Kenya’s political history, following the disputed 2007 presidential election and the violence that followed.
Were’s death left the Embakasi parliamentary seat vacant.
A by-election was subsequently called.
This time, Waititu returned to the race.
And he won.
The former candidate who had lost to Were only months earlier was now the new Member of Parliament for Embakasi.
Seven years later, history appeared to repeat itself
In 2013, George Muchai won the Kabete parliamentary seat.
Muchai, a prominent trade unionist and politician, became the constituency’s MP.
But on February 7, 2015, Kenya was shocked by his brutal killing.
Muchai was travelling in Nairobi when his vehicle was attacked near the Kenyatta Avenue-Uhuru Highway roundabout. He was shot alongside his two bodyguards and driver. All four died.
His death triggered another parliamentary vacancy.
A by-election was scheduled for May 4, 2015.
Waititu entered the contest as the Jubilee Alliance Party candidate.
Once again, he emerged victorious.
He secured 24,228 votes and won the Kabete parliamentary seat by a huge margin.
The sequence was striking:
2007: Waititu contests Embakasi and loses to Mugabe Were.
January 2008: Were is killed.
June 2008: Waititu wins the resulting Embakasi by-election.
February 2015: Kabete MP George Muchai is killed in Nairobi.
May 2015: Waititu wins the resulting Kabete by-election.
Two constituencies.
Two murdered MPs.
Two subsequent by-elections.
And in both cases, Waititu emerged as the successful candidate.
That unusual sequence has continued to attract public discussion.
Then came Jacob Juma
In 2016, another killing involving a prominent Kenyan businessman generated intense political debate.
Businessman Jacob Juma was shot dead in Nairobi in May 2016. His death quickly became the subject of political controversy because of his outspoken criticism of powerful figures and institutions.
Juma had publicly raised allegations concerning land and corruption and had pursued legal disputes involving several prominent individuals, including then-Deputy President William Ruto.
Contemporary reporting documented Juma’s disputes involving land associated with the Weston Hotel and other allegations he had raised against Ruto.
His death subsequently generated competing theories about the motive.
Some political figures and commentators described it as a politically motivated assassination, while investigators pursued different lines of inquiry. A later investigation reported that significant questions remained about Juma’s final movements and the circumstances surrounding his death.
But there is an important distinction.
The fact that Juma had criticized or taken legal action against prominent politicians does not, by itself, establish who ordered or carried out his killing.
Similarly, the fact that Waititu won parliamentary by-elections following the deaths of Were and Muchai does not establish a connection between Waititu and either killing.
A political coincidence that continues to raise questions
Waititu’s political journey is therefore marked by an unusual series of events.
He first attempted to enter Parliament through Embakasi in 2007 but lost.
After Mugabe Were was killed, Waititu returned for the by-election and won.
Years later, after George Muchai was killed, Waititu contested the Kabete by-election and won again.
The two victories became significant milestones in his political career.
His Kabete victory eventually helped propel him back into national political prominence, and in 2017 he went on to win the Kiambu gubernatorial election.
Yet the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Were and Muchai remain separate historical events that should not automatically be connected to Waititu simply because he later won the vacant seats.
The same caution applies to Jacob Juma’s death.
Juma’s outspoken criticism of political leaders, including Ruto, and his disputes over land are documented. His killing remains a separate matter from Waititu’s electoral victories unless evidence establishes a direct connection.
What remains undeniable is the extraordinary chronology:
A politician loses an election.
The winner is killed.
A by-election follows.
He wins.
Years later:
Another MP is killed.
Another by-election follows.
He wins again.
That remarkable political sequence has ensured that Ferdinand Waititu’s rise through the two constituencies remains one of the more unusual chapters in Kenya’s recent political history.
