The incumbent Member of Parliament had been appointed to the Cabinet, creating a vacancy. The electoral body had announced the date for a by-election, among 15 others scattered across the country. The opposition coalition is backing Newton Kariuki Ndwiga of the DP party, one of the contenders seeking to represent the area. In a charged political rally in Ishiara, the coalition leadership, comprising several of the country’s top politicians, assembled to introduce their candidate to the masses. Newton Kariuki emerged wearing his trademark Ray-Paka hairstyle.

But Newton Kariuki is not your typical politician. In fact, he is known more as a musician than a legislator, despite having served three terms as an elected MCA representing Muminji Ward in Embu County. Even with his success in politics, he attributes it all to music, which is what sold his candidacy during his maiden bid. So who exactly is Newton Kariuki Ndwiga, the man always dressed in colourful suits?

Newton Kariuki was born and raised in Gangara, in present-day Embu County. He attended Gangara Primary School and Kegonge Secondary School before transitioning to Kangaru High School, but he dropped out due to a lack of school fees. It was while in Class Six at Gangara Primary that he composed his first song, "Kavoka."

However, it took several more years before he recorded his first track, which he finally did in 1993 using savings from menial jobs at a shop owned by an Asian trader in Embu Town. This was under the mentorship of Peter Kigia, a big name in music at the time. It is not just his flashy dressing that makes him easily recognizable and popular, but also his storytelling prowess. Although most of his songs are high-tempo, Newton Kariuki, also known as Karis or KK, narrates thrilling stories.

Take "Muthoni Kifagio," which came out in the 1990s when the AIDS pandemic was sweeping across the country. In the song, he narrates how he brought Muthoni from the village to the city when she was thin and emaciated, unattractive to any man. He then nourished her well until she became voluptuous and curvaceous. Once beautiful, Muthoni embraced the ways of the city and began cheating on him. One evening, as he was leaving work, he saw her crossing Jogoo Road, heading for her escapades. He concludes by asking her to leave because he cannot bear to end up lying in a cold morgue after dying of AIDS.

Muthoni was a fictional character. Karis, who is married, says his wife initially discouraged his music career and urged him to quit. But one evening after a performance, he showed her the money he had made, and she became fully supportive.

In yet another song, "Muziki Bila Nguo," he narrates how thugs raided his concert and ordered everyone to strip. When the attackers left, the panicked crowd scrambled for their clothes, with many ending up wearing garments that weren’t theirs. He himself went home in women’s underwear, and it was difficult to convince his wife of the circumstances. This could easily have been assumed to be a clever excuse to conceal a randy escapade—if the song were based on a true story. Luckily, it was fictional. One song that foretold his rise was "Tabu Ni Mbaya," which narrated his difficult past and the transformation into who he had become.

The musician has also proudly worn the badge of controversy. Several of his songs have been criticised—like "Rossy," which was condemned for being demeaning to women. Karis has also invested in mentorship, having initiated a talent search project known as "Guitar ya Karish," aimed at identifying and nurturing talent within the region.

His music has given him a platform that makes his candidacy more recognizable than those of his rivals. With that popularity, he hopes to use political office to influence policies that are friendly to art and artists—for as the Swahili sage once said, "Mwamba ngoma huvuta kwake." This means that in every endeavor, a person is bound to try and shape things in a way that favors them.

By Jerome Ogola