By Anderson Ojwang
In the Mbeere community, his songs soothe souls and give hope to the hopeless.
In his song, Kimulu (lantern), the symbol of his party lights the region.
In him, they converge and dance with vigour, anticipating a better day ahead.
In markets and social places, his voice speaks to the masses, and the words carry them along.
Even the bravest and most cunning fall to his drum beats and the rhythm of his music.
In Embu County, he is the king and the father of the community’s traditional music — the voice of the voiceless.
The speaker, listener, and healer of grieving hearts — the voice that carries their sorrow and happiness deep into the mountain.
Newton Karish, the Democratic Party (DP) parliamentary candidate, is not a pushover. The Benga maestro sings to the heart of the community.
Through his music, he forced the self-declared leader of Mt Kenya, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, to patiently pay attention to his Democracy for the Citizens Party slogan “Sikiza Ground.”
Indeed, Gachagua listened to the ground, and after a sponsored opinion poll placed Karish at 43 percent, DCP at 20 percent, and UDA at 18 percent, he threw in the towel and rallied behind the DP candidate.
Karish, the immediate former Muminji Ward Member of the County Assembly (MCA), in the 2022 general elections left a mark after he won in all the polling stations in the ward — a mark of trust and faith by the electorate.
In his music, they danced to the polling station and spoke through the ballot — a resounding victory it was.
Head of Campaigns, Mr Sammy Njiru, says through music, Karish’s popularity has grown beyond the mountain, and his contribution to nurturing upcoming musicians from the community has endeared him to the locals.
“Karish is the father of Mbeere community music. He is the voice of the community. His music soothes and appeals to the community. In his music, the community gets its identity. That is why he is liked and so popular with the voters,” he says.
Njiru says the DP candidate, in his manifesto, has four agendas for the community — education, health, agriculture, and roads.
He says Karish has been the MCA for the ward for the last three terms and was first elected councillor in a by-election after the 2007 general elections.
“In 1997, in his 20s, Karish had declared interest in contesting for a parliamentary seat in the area. But when the former Attorney General JB Muturi declared interest in the same seat, he stepped down in his favour. For him, Muturi was his political father and he could not face him at the ballot,” he says.
Njiru says in 1997, Karish’s popularity had grown because of his music, and he was one of the strongest candidates then, but out of respect, stepped down for JB.
“Karish carries the aspirations of the DP party, and the by-election is ours to lose. This seat was previously held by our member, Geoffrey Kiringa Ruku, before he was appointed Cabinet Secretary for Public Service,” he says.
Ruku was appointed to the seat after President William Ruto sacked Muturi from the Cabinet position.
For Muturi, the by-election presents an opportunity to square it with President Ruto — once an ally turned bitter political rival.
For Ruto, he wants a second win over Muturi to showcase his political superiority and might over his former Attorney General — proving that he remains the king of the mountain even after their fallout.
And for the Deputy President, Prof Abraham Kithure Kindiki, it is a test of his life — whether he can be relied upon to deliver the 2027 mountain votes to President Ruto.
The candidates are Karish; Chama Cha Kazi (CCK) hopeful Duncan Mbui, who also recently served as the Evurore Ward MCA; and UDA candidate Leonard Muthende.
Muthende enjoys government backing, while Karish, the renowned Benga maestro turned politician, is banking on his performance track record — having served as Muminji MCA for three consecutive terms — and the support of seasoned politicians Muturi and Lenny Kivuti, who are backing him.
On the other hand, Mbui is banking on the number of votes in his Evurore Ward, which he has served as MCA for two terms. Given that it is the most populous ward in the constituency, this could tilt the scales in his favour.
Other candidates who have been cleared to vie include Lawrence Ireri, Isaac Muringi, Albert Ngari, Daniel Ngari, Reuben Njeru, and Simon Waiharo.
