Former Meru Governor Kiraitu Murungi has talked openly about how joining politics almost destroyed his family life right away.
Speaking on Wednesday at TV 47, Murungi claimed that the current political climate had captivated his attention too much, and he had spent a lot of time in protracted meetings.
He claimed that his wife once asked him to choose between her and politics, and to her surprise, he chose politics.
"It was not easy, I got into politics as a young man and had just been married, and you spend a lot of time in long endless meetings and the wife is lonely. So my wife threatened me with a divorce.
She asked me to choose politics or her, so I told my her that I have chosen politics and it was a shock," he said.
He said his wife consulted with her friends who advised her to join him in politics.
"She reluctantly joined and we campaigned together in Meru, but you know she was a teacher and she could deal with the public even better than me. She helped me a lot," he said.
He said from then they have enjoyed their journey together through painful experiences and joyful moments.
He added that when he hits low moments, he turns to his wife who helps him to analyze. He praised her saying that she has been a vulnerable partner when it comes to supporting him.
Murungi's political career began in 1990 when joined the newly formed Forum for the Restoration of Democracy (FORD) following Kenya's return to multi-party politics in 1991.
He was elected to Parliament on the FORD ticket during the first multi-party election in 1992, serving as a Member of Parliament for South Imenti Constituency, Meru.
He has been an MP since 1992 and has formerly served as minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs and as the shadow attorney general.
In the 2002 Kenya General Elections he won the South Imenti Constituency MP seat for the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) party.
After the Government's defeat in the 21 November 2005 constitutional referendum, he was appointed Minister of Energy.
He was then re-elected as a member of parliament under a Party of National Unity (PNU) ticket in the 2007 elections.
On 8 August 2017, he was elected the governor of Meru County under a Jubilee ticket, defeating the Incumbent Peter Munya and effectively becoming the second governor of the county since its inception.
Prior to being the Governor, Kiraitu served as the Senator for Meru County after winning the seat under the Alliance Party of Kenya (APK) ticket in the 2013 elections.
Kiraitu vied for the Meru gubernatorial seat in the August 2022 polls but finished third. He failed to retain his seat for the second term after he was defeated by the current Governor Kawira Mwangaza.
Kiraitu vied for the seat on his Devolution Empowerment Party ticket, MBUS. The party joined Azimio on March 8, 2022, and said it would back ODM leader Raila Odinga for his presidential bid.
In April, he was appointed by President William Ruto as the chairperson of the National Oil Corporation of Kenya.
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