The Mt Kenya region has been undergoing a major shift politically, with the so called veterans paving way for young leaders who have taken charge of the vote-rich region.
Some of the key players in the Central Kenyan region are former media personalities who used their influence on radio to make their way into politics.
In this article, we outline three former radio presenters who are currently key players in Mt Kenya players:
1. Karungo Thangw'a
He is the Kiambu County senator. Kiambu is one of the most populated counties in the Mt Kenya region and by extension, the entire country.
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Karungo was born in Githunguri and gained popularity in the early 2000s when he served as a presenter at Kameme FM.
He later traveled to China for a short stint before jetting back and joining Gukena FM as a radio presenter.
In 2017, he expressed interest in the Kiambu senatorial seat but was defeated by the current governor Kimani Wamatangi.
File image of Kiambu Senator Karungo Thangw'a. [Photo:Courtesy]
Following his unsuccessful bid, he was appointed County Executive Committee (CEC) in charge of Roads, Transport and Public Works by then governor Ferdinand Waititu.
The 2022 general election proved that he is influential as he managed to clinch the highly contested Kiambu senatorial UDA party primaries and eventually won the seat during the August elections.
2. Sabina Chege
She is arguably one of the most popular female politicians in the country. Chege made her political debut in 2013 when she contested and won the Murang'a Woman Rep seat, which she defended in the 2017 general election.
However, before politics, Chege was a manager at the national broadcaster the Kenya Broadcasting Cooperation (KBC). She also worked as a radio presenter at Kameme FM.
Since she joined the political scene, she has been a key player, especially in the Mt Kenya region. In the run up to the 2017 election, she was one of the leaders that traversed the country campaigning for Uhuru Kenyatta's re-election.
Ahead of the 2022 general election, she announced that she won't be vying for any political seat and instead dedicated her time to campaigning for Raila Odinga.
In recognition of her efforts, Jubilee nominated her to Parliament where she was later appointed Deputy Minority Chief Whip by the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition.
However, she ditched the opposition and vowed to work with the government, a move that did not augur well with Azimio la Umoja who now want her to relinquish her seat.
3. Gathoni Wa Muchomba
She was raised in Komothai, Githunguri in Kiambu County. Wa Muchomba attended a Precious Blood Riruta and later joined the University of Nairobi where she pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Education.
While in her fourth year, she landed a job at Kameme FM which prompted her to pursue a Masters Degree in Communication.
She later ditched Kameme for Inooro FM. In 2017, she vied for the Kiambu Woman Rep seat and had a resounding victory that made her the third most voted for person in the country after then presidential candidates Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga.
File image of Githunguri MP Gathoni Wa Muchomba. [Photo: Courtesy]
She worked with Jubilee Party until the run up to the 2022 general election where she decamped to UDA party and successfully vied for Githunguri parliamentary seat.
Wa Muchomba is known to speak her mind; a thing that has placed her in several tricky positions. In 2017, she faced backlash after she opposed plans to slash MPs' salaries.
In 2023, she made headlines after she opposed the Finance Bill despite being a member of the ruling coalition which was behind the bill.
