Wamatinga: I don’t regret backing Gachagua ouster

Nyeri Senator Wahome Wamatinga was probably the closest ally of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. The first-term lawmaker served as the National Government Constituencies Development Fund board chairman during Rigathi’s tenure as Mathira MP. Shockingly, Wamatinga and Gachagua severed ties leading to the senator voting in favour of the ex-DP’s impeachment last year. In an interview with the Star, the senator opens up on his fallout with Gachagua, Mt Kenya politics and his achievements and challenges in the Senate and Nyeri.

Who is Wahome Wamatinga?

I was born and raised in Nyeri county. I was raised by my grandmother. My background is humble. I attended a local primary school and went to a day secondary school. After I completed my O’ Level, my community saw it fit to give me a further chance. They did a fundraiser for me and I went to Germany for further studies. Looking at my background, I kind of made a covenant with my God that if I succeed in my studies and complete them, I will come back and serve my community.

So, where did the name Wamatinga come from?

When I came back from Germany, I realised that we had a big shortage of training in technical skills. Our education system puts a lot of emphasis on white-collar jobs. Having lived and worked in Germany, I realised that what made their economy successful is their emphasis on technical training. I borrowed heavily from that. I started a college that was training people in engineering but without looking at academic qualifications. We were the first institute that could take in somebody as long as you have a national ID without looking at your academic background. Most of the young people who worked on the SGR (Standard Gauge Railway), operating those big machines (tinga tinga) were my trainees. That is how I acquired the name.

Why and when did you join politics?

With the introduction of multiparty politics, I joined the Democratic Party. I was the chairman of DP in Western Europe. In 1997 we lost the election. But in 2002, we won. I decided to relocate to Kenya in 2006 so that we could help in nation building. Even though I was living abroad, I was an active member of PNU (Party of National Unity), which merged with DP to ensure Kibaki was re-elected. In 2007, I helped former Nyeri Governor Nderitu Gachagua to campaign for an MP seat. In 2008, we formed GNU (Government of National Unity), which he used in 2013 to run for the Nyeri governor position. I believe in serving the community at all levels – locally and nationally.

You are a strong believer in party politics

It is because, for the 20 years I lived in Germany, I realised that strong parties there were able to position Germany as a strong economy. Tanzania and South Africa have had CCM (Chama Cha Mapinduzi) and ANC (African National Congress) for a very long time. They have party structures that can discipline party members and thus people can follow party policies. I believe that we will be able to build parties that supersede our regional and tribal inclination and enshrine the interest of Kenyans.

How has the experience been serving as a senator since 2022?

It has been quite challenging. We are required to do the oversight, represent and legislate but you are not given resources to do that work. You are required to traverse the whole county to oversee the activities of the governor and conduct public participation in the execution of projects but you are not given a single cent save for your salary to enable you to do that.

What did you achieve during your tenure as Senate Energy Committee chairman?

We investigated the G-to-G (government-to-government) oil arrangement. Initially, we had an open tender where bidders would express their interest and that exerted a lot of pressure on the dollar. The President, using his wisdom, decided to use G-to-G and reduce overreliance on the dollar. He went and negotiated with oil-producing countries. As a result, the demand on the dollar went down. We were able to borrow locally. We also pushed for the removal of smart meters from Kenya Power to be installed as part of the utilities.

What have you done for the people of Nyeri?

My passion through the Wahome Wamatinga Foundation has always been to give young people an opportunity to discover their talent, give them a new perspective in life and encourage them. We have the Uji Wa Afya programme right from ECDE to primary school to Junior secondary. Since we introduced this programme, we have seen attendance increase, in some areas, up to 98 per cent. Performance has also improved. When kids complete learning, be it primary, secondary or university, they join Club Tenee, which allows them talk to themselves and encourage each other. We have Club Total where we give seedlings to the children to grow. By the time they get to Grades 5 or 6, the trees are already producing fruits. In the process, they know that putting effort and working hard can bear fruit. We have also been engaging young adults to address the issue of mental health. Nyeri county has been leading in cases of mental health.

What is your relationship with Gachagua?

I was Gachagua’s CDF chairman for five years. Since 2002, when his brother, the late Nderitu Gachagua was campaigning to become the MP, I was residing in Germany but I could take a flight and come to Kenya to campaign for him. So, this is a very close family relationship that we have. We have developed a political relationship for several years. However, I would want to disagree with some of the things that he said. I am not a person who believes that we as the mountain region can sustain ourselves. If you look at the world over, we are moving towards global integration. I tend to disagree with him that we propagate the politics of a region or ethnic bloc as opposed to national and regional integration. I do not agree with my friend Gachagua that we need tribal integration. What we need is national and regional integration. I believe that for Kenya to grow and sustain itself, we must encourage regional integration.

Is Gachagua the next big thing in Mt Kenya?

The next big thing for the people of Mt Kenya is someone who will improve milk prices, improve the price of coffee and revive the economy. Someone who will protect their businesses. Someone who will empower them and give them farm inputs like subsidised fertiliser. The next big thing are people who are looking at the future of this country. Those who understand the global and African dynamics and how the continent will be in the next couple of years.