How Raila loss dimmed Ngilu's political star

Losing an election can be an embarrassing and traumatising experience as it shutters the dreams of candidates who invested in the vision of winning office. 

This reality dawned on so many aspirants in the August 9 general election, leaving them bereft of a sense of purpose.

With Azimio leader Raila Odinga enjoying state support and opinion polls giving him an edge over his competitors, defeat must have been particularly a bitter pill to swallow. 

But the sense of loss appears to be more profound amongst Raila's supporters and allies whose political survival relied on his victory.

A notable figure that comes to mind is Charity Kaluki Ngilu, the immediate former Governor of Kitui.

On July 15, Raila announced that Ngilu would not defend her seat as Kitui county boss.

The ODM leader said she would be offered a position in the Azimio administration.

Whereas Raila appears to have mastered the art of handling political grief and refused to let the loss sideline him from politics, little to nothing has been heard from Ngilu since IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati declared William Ruto winner of the presidential race.

A petition came and went and still, nothing from Ngilu. This begs the question, where is Ngilu?

One known to be very active on social media, Ngilu's last update on Twitter and Facebook was on September 24.

In the post, she asked Ruto to walk the talk and appoint 50 per cent of women to his cabinet as promised during campaigns.

"He promised 50"per cent.11 women in the cabinet, that we can support. Let’s wait and see," Ngilu said.

Ruto failed to deliver on this pledge and appointed nine women to his Cabinet, three without full ministerial portfolios. 

Monica Juma (National Security adviser), Mercy Wanjau (Secretary to the Cabinet), and Harriet Chiggai (Advisor on Women).

Naturally, Mama Ngilu would have reacted to this development but she didn't.

As an ardent Ruto critic, Ngilu's silence is too loud to be ignored.

That Ruto lifted the ban on GMOs, unga prices are still high and a raging debate on the removal of four dissenting IEBC commissioners is ongoing and Ngilu is dead silent is so unusual. 

In the run-up to the August polls, Ngilu hit the campaign trail and rallied support for Raila, attacking Ruto at the slightest opportunity.

On July 30, she criticised the bottom-up economic revival model with a descriptive definition of how impractical it is.

"Mimi najua hapa kuna watu wengi wanajua kizungu. Nikikuchukuwa miguu namna hii nikuweke kichwa chini, hiyo ni kusema nini?" she asked during a campaign rally.

(I know most of you here understand English. If I hold you upside down, how would you interpret that?)

When politicians lose an election by a close margin, denial is a natural first emotion for the defeated side.

Raila's loss may have sat heavily on Ngilu than imagined as this is the first time in decades the former governor is not in a position of power. 

"People don’t typically talk about politics in the same sentence as grief and woe, but the two are more closely connected than we might realize," Christopher Ojeda, assistant Prof of Political Science, University of Tennessee, said in research findings featured on The Conversation in October 2020.

He said electoral loss can be scary for some people as it forces them to contend with policies they dislike.

Ojeda, however, said that some people cop with election blues by taking breaks from the news, politics, and social media. 

"While it’s a way to connect with other people and share information, it’s also a key source of political misinformation, echo chamber conversations and polarized thinking. Overall, too much time on Facebook or Twitter can intensify anxiety and depression," he said.

Could Ngilu have taken this route? Maybe. She was promised a position in Raila's government but that never was.

Many would argue that she would have easily defended her governor's seat in the absence of Raila's promise.

Ojeda pointed out that in any election, there must be a losing side that has to contend with leaders they didn't choose.

Electoral loss, he said, creates distrust in the system and a sense of dissatisfaction with the electoral process but accepting loss is part and parcel of democracy. 

"My research shows that it hits us emotionally, too. But instead of letting hurt sideline you from politics, use it to fuel the passion you felt before the election," he said.

Edited by Bosco marita