THEY HAVE GIVEN NANYUKI A LIFETIME — NOW MDOIDO WANTS THEIR VOICES HEARD

 Joseph Maina Njogu puts elderly residents at the centre of his Nanyuki Ward leadership agenda

CIVIC LENS GAZETTE | Tuesday, September 1, 2026

For decades, they have watched Nanyuki change.

They have raised families, built businesses, worked the land, supported their communities and witnessed generations come and go. Some remember a very different Nanyuki—one whose roads, neighbourhoods and way of life bear little resemblance to what exists today.

But as they grow older, a question increasingly hangs over their conversations:

Who is listening to them now?

That question took centre stage when Hon. Joseph Maina Njogu, popularly known as Mdoido, recently sat down with elderly residents of Nanyuki Ward for a conversation about the issues affecting their lives.

It was not presented as a meeting about handouts.

It was a conversation about dignity, healthcare, basic services and the place of older people in a rapidly changing community.

For Mdoido, who is seeking to become the next Member of the County Assembly for Nanyuki Ward, the engagement offered an opportunity to listen directly to residents whose experiences span generations.

And for the elderly residents, it was a chance to tell a prospective representative what they expect from leadership.

The message was simple:

They do not want to be remembered only during elections.

They want to be heard.

An overlooked constituency

In political campaigns, young people often dominate the conversation.

Jobs.

Business opportunities.

Sports.

Technology.

Education.

But there is another constituency whose needs can easily disappear from political headlines—the elderly.

Their challenges are often less visible but deeply personal.

Getting to a health facility can become difficult.

A poor road can turn a short journey into an exhausting one.

A distant water point can become a serious burden.

And navigating public services can be frustrating for people whose mobility and economic circumstances may have changed with age.

For Mdoido, the answer begins with recognising that older residents are not simply beneficiaries of government programmes.

They are citizens with constitutional rights.

Article 57 of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 specifically provides for the rights of older members of society. It recognises their right to participate fully in society, pursue personal development, live in dignity and respect, and receive reasonable care and assistance from their families and the State.

That constitutional provision changes the political conversation.

The question is no longer simply:

"What can we give the elderly?"

It becomes:

"How can government ensure that elderly citizens can live with dignity?"

What Mdoido can actually do

There is an important distinction that voters deserve to understand.

An MCA does not personally control county hospitals, water departments or roads.

The Constitution gives the County Assembly legislative, representative and oversight responsibilities.

That means an MCA can use the office to influence county priorities, participate in the budget process, push for legislation, represent residents and hold the county executive accountable.

For Mdoido, that provides a constitutional route through which the concerns raised by Nanyuki's elderly residents can become part of county policy.

Instead of promising to personally solve every problem, he can take their concerns into the County Assembly and demand answers from the institutions responsible.

That could mean asking why a health facility lacks essential services.

Why a road remains neglected.

Why a water project has stalled.

Why a budget allocation has not translated into services.

Or whether county programmes intended to assist vulnerable residents are actually reaching them.

In other words, the MCA's power is not simply in what he can personally give—but in what he can demand government delivers.

Healthcare at the heart of the conversation

For elderly residents, healthcare is likely to be one of the most important issues in any development conversation.

As people age, access to healthcare becomes increasingly important to their quality of life.

Yet the challenge is not simply whether a hospital exists.

It is whether the facility is accessible.

Whether essential services are available.

Whether residents can obtain the care they need without travelling unnecessarily far.

Whether emergency services can respond when required.

This is an area where county government has a direct constitutional responsibility.

County health services fall within the functions assigned to county governments under the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution.

An MCA representing Nanyuki Ward can therefore use legislative and oversight mechanisms to push for better healthcare services and demand accountability for money allocated to the health sector.

For Mdoido, the conversation with elderly residents provides a starting point.

Their experiences can inform the questions he takes to the County Assembly.

And that is where listening becomes political action.

From roads to water, development is personal

To policymakers, roads and water may appear as items in a county development plan.

To residents, they are everyday realities.

A road determines whether someone can reach a health facility.

Water determines how families live.

Street lighting affects movement and security.

Public facilities determine whether citizens can access government services with dignity.

The Constitution assigns counties responsibilities covering areas including county roads, street lighting, water and sanitation.

That gives an MCA a legitimate platform from which to advocate for better services and exercise oversight over their implementation.

Mdoido's wider manifesto is therefore being positioned around the idea that development should be felt at household level—not merely celebrated on paper.

For Nanyuki Ward's elderly residents, that could mean a leadership approach that asks a basic question about every project:

Does this actually make life better for the people?

The politics of listening

There is something significant about the setting of Mdoido's recent engagement.

He was not speaking to elderly residents from a distant constituency.

He was speaking to people from Nanyuki Ward, the very community whose interests he hopes to represent in the County Assembly.

That proximity matters.

A candidate can write a manifesto from an office.

But a serious manifesto should also be informed by conversations with the people who will ultimately live with its consequences.

The elderly residents bring something unique to that conversation: memory.

They know what Nanyuki was.

They have experienced its challenges.

They have watched previous leaders make promises.

And they know the difference between a political speech and a commitment that survives after an election.

Their participation can therefore provide an important reality check for any candidate seeking public office.

Mdoido's bigger proposition

The elderly agenda is only one part of the political picture Mdoido is presenting to Nanyuki Ward.

His emerging message is that leadership should address the concerns of the common citizen—not just the politically powerful.

That means looking at development through different lenses.

For young people, it could mean opportunities and support for talent.

For women, it could mean economic empowerment and greater participation.

For families, it could mean better access to essential services.

For elderly residents, it means dignity, healthcare, accessibility and a government that remembers them.

The strength of such an agenda will ultimately depend on whether the promises can be converted into measurable action.

That is the real test of any political manifesto.

The election will test more than popularity

As the 2027 political contest approaches, Nanyuki Ward voters will have an opportunity to interrogate candidates beyond slogans and personalities.

They can ask:

What does this candidate actually stand for?

What can an MCA constitutionally do?

What will they prioritise?

How will they use oversight?

How will they involve residents?

And perhaps the most important question:

How will we know whether they have delivered?

For Mdoido, the conversation with elderly residents has opened one answer.

Listen first.

Understand the problem.

Use the constitutional mandate.

Push the relevant institutions.

Monitor public resources.

Return to the people.

And report back.

That is a different model from politics based solely on visibility.

A promise bigger than a campaign visit

For the elderly residents who sat across the table from Mdoido, the encounter may have been just one conversation.

But politically, it carries a larger message.

Nanyuki Ward is changing.

Its population is changing.

Its economic needs are changing.

And its elderly residents are asking not to be left behind.

Mdoido's challenge now is to turn their concerns into a coherent, measurable and constitutionally grounded agenda.

If he succeeds, his campaign for the MCA seat could offer something more meaningful than another list of election promises.

It could present a model of local leadership in which the elderly are not treated as an afterthought, young people are not treated merely as campaign crowds, and ordinary residents are not remembered only when votes are needed.

Because those who have spent a lifetime building a community deserve more than applause for their contribution.

They deserve to know that their voices still matter.

And in Nanyuki Ward, Mdoido is betting that listening to those voices can be the beginning of better representation.