KETHI Kilonzo yesterday withdrew from the race for the Makueni senate seat because she felt she would be cursed if she competed against her stepmother Nduku Kilonzo.
Kethi had been widely expected to run in the by-election on the Wiper ticket to succeed her father, Mutula Kilonzo. However last weekend, Nduku, Mutula's second wife, suddenly emerged as a contender for Jubilee and Narc.
Lawyer Kethi shot into the limelight in March when she represented Africog in its petition against the result of the March 4 presidential election. Yesterday Kethi ruled herself out of the running saying that she could not contest against her stepmother, Nduku Kilonzo.
“A child does not compete with the mother. It is a curse. I will not support Jubilee. To stand with my father's enemies is a worse curse,” she said on Twitter.
"Today is a dark day. May the people of Makueni and all who have stood with me one day find it in their hearts to forgive me," she said in a Facebook posting.
Family sources and Kethi's close friends told the Star yesterday that Mutula's daughter had been blackmailed by some people behind Nduku's decision to contest.
"They asked her to join Jubilee and when she declined, they told her that they will get a family member to run against her and her law career will be finished. At that point Kethi told them that she would rather withdraw from the race altogether rather than fight with her stepmother," said a close friend of Kethi.
"We tried to reach out to Nduku to let Kethi go for the seat but she insisted that Kethi was not running. This surprised us because at the weekend Kethi began to engage in political activities that left no doubt that she was in the race. Nduku knew what we did not know, so it was not surprising to hear her announce her bid last Sunday. We then had no choice but to ask Kethi to withdraw in respect of her father and his legacy," said a Mutula relative.
On Sunday, to the surprise of many, Nduku told the media in Machakos that she was in the race to succeed her husband. Mutula Kilonzo was found dead in his Maanzoni ranch on April 27. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission has set the by-election date for July 22.
A family member said several people allied to Jubilee had met Nduku several times last week to convince her to join the race. Nduku, had been touted as a possible Jubilee candidate on a Narc ticket, but party leader Kiema Kilonzo denied this on Monday.
Yesterday Kiema did not confirm or deny that Nduku might be the Narc candidate. "We will make the announcement on Friday," said Kiema. This was the first time that Kethi confirmed that she had been intending to stand on July 22 as she had kept her intentions closely guarded. The Wiper party said that it was ready for her to stand down to avoid causing a split in the family.
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