Gathoni wa Muchomba: Radio star turned politician no stranger to controversy

Kiambu Woman Representative Gathoni wa Muchomba has, of late, been the talk of the town after she urged local men to embrace polygamy.

“We give birth to these children and we do not want to own up to them. If you are a man from the Kikuyu community and you can sustain five wives, have them, and if you are a man and you are in a position to bring up many children, do it,” she said on Monday.

Her comments elicited many reactions from Kenyans, with some supporting her opinion and others openly criticising her.

The lawmaker is no stranger to controversy.

In August 2017, barely weeks after clinching her seat, she went on national TV and lambasted a proposal for salary cut for MPs that by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission.

“I want to be paid well. I want to be honoured for who I am,” she said, remarks which didn’t go down well with Kenyans.

A section of Kiambu residents even began collecting signatures seeking her immediate ouster, even after she apologised for the remarks only hours after making them.

What, perhaps, many Kenyans want to know is; who exactly is Gathoni wa Muchomba?

In previous interviews, wa Muchomba has narrated her upbringing – especially her father’s behaviour – with pain and frustration.

Raised in Komothai, Githunguri, in a nuclear family of four and a stepfamily of 11, wa Muchomba has in the past unapologetically referred to her father as “an irresponsible drunkard who cared very little for the family.”

She said his behavior affected her relationship with men so negatively that she vowed never to get married.

Having emerged the best in her district in her Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam, Gathoni joined Precious Blood Riruta where she was, at one time, almost forced to drop out due to lack of school feed but a ‘Good Samaritan’ came to her aid.

That m Japanese national, was – coincidentally – a volunteer teacher at the same institution Gathoni’s mother worked as a casual labourer; Komothai Girls School.

While at Precious Blood, ‘Minji Minji,’ as she is popularly known, detested half-term breaks because her mother could not afford the Ksh.2 for her bus fare.

“This meant I had to hike a lift and if I was not lucky, I would stay home for some days.”

Gathoni then joined Makuyu Secondary School as an untrained teacher, and later enrolled at the University of Nairobi for a Bachelor’s degree in Education.

While in her second year, Gathoni was offered a job by one of her lecturers; a job which saw her travel around the country documenting the activities of farmers at the grassroots level.

These activities saw her clips aired on the national broadcaster, KBC, which later earned her a job as a presenter at Kameme FM while in her fourth year of study.

She later returned to the same university for a Masters Degree in Communication, during which period she got pregnant with her first child; Melissa Wanjiru in 2003.

wa Muchomba would later ditch Kameme for Inooro FM, afterwhich she set up Smart Media College and, later, a digital television channel, Utugi TV, based solely on agriculture.

While declaring her interest in the race for the Kiambu Woman Representative, wa Muchomba caused a stir in the region when she publicly declared that the then incumbent Ann Nyokabi, a relative of President Uhuru Kenyatta, did not scare her.

“I’m not unseating the incumbent because I have more resources or she is related to someone. She has just not delivered,” said told a local paper.