Isaac Mutuma Ithinkia: The man who would be Meru’s fourth Governor

After losing favour with Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza, Isaac Mutuma Ithinkia has been receiving a lot of attention.

When Kawira Mwangaza named Isaac Mutuma Ithinkia as her running mate, the move caught many by surprise.

Mr. Mutuma, a man who spends a lot of his time in the pulpit, remains a man whose life is not very public, despite having been Meru’s number two for a year and some months now.

During Governor Kawira Mwangaza’s second impeachment in the Senate, Mutuma’s name kept popping.

He had earlier visited the County Assembly of Meru with a litany of complaints and directions were issued on how to deal with them.

At some point during the two days impeachment in the plenary, the senate was treated to kimiiru chants by a choir of men singing songs full of threats.

When Kawira lawyers linked the group to the Deputy Governor, it was easy to become confused about who the real Mutuma was.

Who’s Mutuma

Mr Mutuma was easily picked as Governor Mwangaza’s deputy in the last election, launching him into the Meru political arena.

During campaigns, the son of the late Njuri Ncheke leader, Paul M’Ithinkia, braved the scorching sun and demanding crowds, in the company of his gubernatorial candidate, only to win and emerge Meru Number two on county matters.

But even before dust settled, social media speculation was rife on the workings of the governor and his deputy. This was especially because Meru’s First Gentleman, Murega Baichu, was more visible than Mutuma.

But Mutuma seemed unbothered.

During the first impeachment at the Senate, he sat beside Kawira throughout.

It is rumored that the man, who is also a major miraa farmer, tried some shuttle diplomacy for the governor, which the governor’s aides saw as an attempt to overthrow her.

Mutuma has always insisted that he was only trying to save his boss, despite the political pressure to have him on the governor’s side.

When rumours of his alleged mistreatment by the governor went public, Mutuma still tried to save the situation. But months later, it exploded after he went public and described what he presented as his tribulations in the hands of the governor. His boss dismissed it antics aimed at attracting public sympathy.

Even after the fallout, Mutuma still attempted to reach out to the governor, with public apologies and appeal for talks, but it want taken up. That ended in the County Assembly, and later an impeachment motion, with Mutuma’s complains making part of the charges against the governor.

Prior to joining politics, Mutuma worked as a church minister in the Methodist Churches of Kenya as well as an officer in the Kenya prisons service.

He is also known to have a penchant for community work, having worked with Plan International, an NGO, as a child rights advocate.

At Habitat for Humanity, another NGO, he served as a youth representative in Mount Kenya Region.

Back at the prison services, he worked as a human rights officer and Inmate rehabilitation program implementer among other key duties.

Academic qualification

Isaac Mutuma holds a Higher Diploma in Forensic Psychology and Criminology and a Bachelors degree in Theology from Kenya Methodist University.

Currently, the person who cuts an image of a humble man but who may not be as meek as he appears is studying for a Masters degree in Governance and Ethics at Mt. Kenya University.