Former State House Chief of Staff Nzioka Waita addressing the Media in Mwala after a Church Service. Photo by Virginia Siebella. 
By Virginia Siebella and Andrew Mbuva.
Former State House Chief of Staff has accused Wiper party leader of blocking his attempt to join the party, a move he says forced him to shift to the (UDA) ahead of his 2027 Machakos gubernatorial bid.
Speaking during a church service at Uvaini AIC in Mwala Sub-county, Waita revealed that before joining UDA, he had sought to enter the to compete in party primaries against current Machakos Governor .
“I have never been a member of Wiper in my entire life,” Waita said, outlining his political journey which began with (KANU) in 1997, before supporting different administrations over the years.
He explained that his meeting with Kalonzo was driven by his desire to return to Machakos and address what he termed as pressing governance and development challenges in the county.
“I told him, ‘Your Excellency, I want to go back to the people of Machakos because I can see the county has serious problems.’ But he looked at me and said, ‘There is no problem in Machakos,’” Waita recounted.
The gubernatorial hopeful said he was taken aback by the response, insisting that Machakos is grappling with persistent leadership wrangles, particularly between the county executive and the County Assembly, as well as concerns over poor performance.
“If you look at the reports and media coverage, Machakos ranks among the worst-performing counties. There is a problem, and we cannot pretend otherwise,” he added.
Waita further argued that his inability to secure space within Wiper reflected a lack of internal democracy, claiming that some political parties are controlled by individuals.
“I realized that if I joined Wiper, the party already has an owner,” he said, adding that UDA has provided him with a platform to champion development issues such as roads, water, and youth empowerment.
He also took issue with party politics, saying it has contributed to leadership conflicts in Machakos County.
“Party politics is what is causing problems in our county. I will stand with UDA because I have been given an opportunity,” he stated.
At the same time, Waita challenged Kalonzo to publicly confirm or deny the claims, noting that he made the remarks openly in the presence of the media.
His sentiments come amid rising political activity in Machakos County as leaders position themselves ahead of the 2027 General Election, with a tightly contested gubernatorial race expected.
