Meet Simon Maina, a Kikuyu Man Elected as an MCA in Busia County

A Kikuyu man has become the first person outside the Luo, Luhya, and Teso communities to be elected to a leadership position in Busia County.

Simon Maina Kuria won the Marachi West Ward Representative seat during the August 9th general election, bringing to an end a longstanding order that had seen leadership in the area revolve mainly between the Luos and Luhyas.

The 35-year-old was born in Central Kenya but his parents moved to Busia when he was two years old in 1991.

 “My parents came to Bumula in 1991; my father was a bus driver and my mother hawked potatoes and oranges. I started school here in Bumula, but only went up to standard eight. My father died in 2001, and that brought my education to an abrupt end, so I ventured into business here in Bumula,” said Maina.

Maina, who speaks fluent Luo, Luhya and Kikuyu languages, trounced 10 other candidates including the incumbent to clinch the seat 

“I am happy that the people have elected me to represent and work for them, despite this being an ODM zone, they have given me this mandate to lead them. I am one of them, I have lived with the people here. I know the voters wanted a worker,” Maina said. 

“It’s possible I wouldn’t have won this seat had I contested back home in Central. The people of Marachi West chose me, because they did not look at my tribe, or party for that matter, they looked at my ability as a person, and that’s how it should be.”

Vying on a Movement for Democracy and Growth (MDG) ticket, Maina garnered 3,053 votes against his closest competitor Sawe Gomba who received 2,194 votes.

He has pledged to promote trade in the area by offering grants to small-scale traders.