November 19, 2007

Macharia '01 campaigns for Kenyan parliament

We’ve mentioned alumni campaigning for national office here in the USA, and also Uhuru Kenyatta ‘85’s Kenyan presidential run (since called off), but we’ve been remiss in not noting that Edwin Macharia ‘01 is running for Parliament in Kenya. Macharia, a director for the Clinton Foundation, is running for the Kieni Constituency seat against incumbent Chris Murungaru, a major figure in a scandal which embroiled Kenya’s ruling party in early 2006.

Macharia was interviewed on the BBC’s Network Africa program on Friday, November 16, and has been drawing international attention to his campaign, partly due to his youth, but also for his relatively impressive resume. He was featured in an article in the East Standard earlier this month, and in a French political blog.

Macharia’s campaign has focused on grass-roots change in his district, including a February soccer tournament centered on improving the unemployment problems of young men in Kieni by passing the tournament’s prize money not directly to the winning teams, but to “income generating activities” for the players. Macharia has also mobilized his own connections and the resources of his campaign to address the public health issue of jiggers, insect infestations which often plague families in Kieni.

Kenyan election law allows foreign donations to Kenyan campaigns, so Macharia has been using his Amherst and New York connections as well as fund-raising inside Kenya. Visit his campaign website to learn more.

Parker Morse '96 | November 19, 2007 10:37 AM | Alumni

Comments

pjm | January 1, 2008 05:23 PM:

As of 12/29, Edwin reports that with counting ongoing, he is "second or third" in the polling, trading places with the incumbent, while another challenger has opened a "strong lead." It looks like second is the best Edwin can hope for this time.

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