By Betty Luke
Isiolo’s Njuri Ncheke Council of Elders has endorsed Mwenda Thuranira for Isiolo North MP seat boosting his bid to unseat incumbent Hassan Odha.
The elders, who gathered at their sacred place in Mwangaza over the weekend, said the politician had proven to have community interests at heart through his philanthropic programs and therefore confident he will address the needs of Isiolo residents if elected to office.
Isiolo central Chair Mr Edward Itabari said they had blessed Mr Thuranira vying on PNU ticket to seek support from other communities and sell his agenda to local residents.
“We (elders) have given him the greenlight to vie for Isiolo North MP seat and he has our blessings as he seeks to transform our county. We urge our people to support him,” said Mr Itabari.
The tens of elders also installed the aspirant as a Njuri Ncheke elder giving him mandate to negotiate and lobby on behalf of the community.
Mr Thuranira promised to safeguard the interests of Isiolo North residents who he said had been neglected by the current and former leaderships.
If elected, he said, priority will be on fair distribution of bursaries, empowerment for youth, women and special groups, enhanced security and increased enrolment of youths at local technical schools for hand-on skills for self-employment.
“I will ensure no child drops out of school for lack of schools fees and will do my best to alleviate Isiolo residents the suffering they are currently going through,” he assured.
Mr Thuranira is among the 15 contestants seeking to dethrone MP Odha.
The elder told off sections of residents who had in the past endorsed some politicians maintaining that they were the only ones mandated to do so.
