Murang'a Woman Representative Betty Maina is fast rising in clout to usurp all county powers to herself, nearly dictating even to all the nine(9) sub-County Security Committees on how to do their work.

The County has Ithanga Kakuzi, Gatanga, Kigumo, Kandara, Murang'a East, Murang'a South, Kangema, Mathioya and Kahuro sub-Counties all under County Commissioner Joshua Nkanatha.

"But the real Nkanatha is this Woman Representative. She has the powers to summon Deputy County Commissioners to security meetings in her office at Kenol town. When she summons, we go running," said one of the Deputy County Commissioners.

Recently, she held a meeting that had Maragua town security as an agenda at her office that is only a few metres from Murang'a South Deputy County Commissioner's Office, Mr Gitonga Murungi.

Mr Murungi was captured seated submissively alongside members of the public near the chair of the meeting, Ms Maina.

According to some sources who attended the meeting, Ms Maina packaged herself as Ms fix it "where she would call high offices, put them on loudspeaker and gave us evidence that she calls the shots".

Taunts emerged online where captions were developed indicating that "Betty Maina the head of security in Murang'a lectures Deputy County Commissioner Mr Murungi on how to do his work".

Other captions indicated that Mr Murungi was in total submission to Ms Maina.

It is not clear who ordered Mr Murungi to later go to Maragua town through proxy to order the arrest of four (4) youths who were said to be spreading rumours against area security and against Ms Maina.

Police from Maragua station went ahead and arrested Peter Mburu,16, Nancy Njoki 24, Ejidia Wairimu,27 and Lucy Njoki 30, accusing them of being behind propaganda against security and Ms Maina.

The four(4) were said that they had on diverse dates told the media that Maragua town is home to sodomites and that Ms Maina is unpopular in the County.

In defending the arrests, Mr Murungi said "they had been told to help the security understand what informed them to tell the media that people were being sodomised in the town".

Mr Murungi added that the four recorded police statements.

But Maragua MP Mary wa Maua raided the station accompanied by supporters and human rights lawyer Mr Maina Gatundu.

Mr Gatundu said the four had not been booked in the occurrence Book.

"If you are arrested by police and locked up in the cells without getting booked in the OB, it means you have been abducted and being held in a criminal manner," he said.

Mr Gatundu said "in the case of Mr Mburu it was a clear case of blatant impunity where besides not being recorded in the OB, he had been kept in the cells beyond the constitutionally accepted timeline of 24 hours" .

He said Mburu had been arrested on Sunday, kept in adult cells as well as not being arraigned anywhere on Monday hence making his presence in the cells on Tuesday and outright case of crime on the part of the station leadership".

He said he is considering suing the state for the four(4) arrests, terming them as "outright defilement against our progressive Bill of Rights".

All the four(4) said they overheard police officers receiving orders from Mr Murungi and Ms Maina on how to ensure they were made to respect her as well as President Ruto.

"Instead of the officers pulling up their socks and arrest the criminals behind the spate of murders, that include those of five children aged between four(4) years and one(1) year, they moved to arrest those captured giving media interviews to the media complaining of feeling unsecured by the very government they are being forced to love," Ms Maua said.

She said "President Ruto government is on daily basis trying to woo the people back to its fold, but unfortunately nothing will be achieved with this kind of police oppression that is being ordered to happen by the likes of these administrators and their allied disruptive politicians".

Ms Maua said "the town is fast sinking into anarchy since among the murdered, two(2) were allegely lynched by Maragua Technical Training College fraternity on grounds that they were criminals".

Mr Gatundu reminded Mr Murungi and Ms Maina that "it is criminal to task those captured talking in media news...The copyright of the published material reverts to the publisher...it is unconstitutional to go telling media interviewees to justify what they said to the media".

He dismissed the move as a blatant defilement against the Bill of Rights as well as rape against media freedom.

Ms Maua urged the media to refuse the intimidation and make it crystal clear to Mr Murungi and Ms Maina that they can fight all those they want but the media remains a no go zone area.

Ms Maua said she will not rest until Maragua police station rises from oppressive application of law and instead embrace rule of law, whether Mr Murungi and Ms Maina like it or not.

"I will not put up with police officers who never solves crime, never busts any murder but are quick to arrest those residents who speak to the media about insecurity," she said.

She added that "a police formation that is not willing to be tasked to deliver results can only be around to make the government look bad and cement strong belief that corruption drives grassroot security".

As the fiasco continues, it is understood that Ms Maina has ordered the Murang'a South Security committee to arrange for her a public meeting in the crime prone Maragua town.

"We have been told that President Ruto and his Deputy Prof Kithure Kindiki want the meeting to happen only at supervision of Ms Maina and none else...We have been told that we must ensure that Ms Maina does not suffer crowd hostilities owing to her current raging unpopularity among area voters," said an officer who asked not to be named.

A similar meeting that had been called in the town was boycotted by all security personnel in Murang'a South on grounds that Ms Maina was not involved in convening it.

But Mr Murungi said "we found it untenable to attend since some of the convenors had planned to raid security offices to eject some officers".

This emphasizes the size of Ms Maina in area security and how she influences things, question being whether it is for the good or for the bad.

Married to Mathira MP Eric Wamumbi, the first time legislator was born in Kigumo sub-County.

During her dowry negotiations in 2024, President William Ruto and his then Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua were the chief guests where it is reported millions of shillings was her price.

Ms Maina today does not hide her disdain for Mr Gachagua, having already ganged up with her husband Mr Wamumbi to push for his impeachment and eventual ground onslaught to attempt to confine him to political irrelevancy.

However, while impeaching Gachagua was successful, the part of making him irrelevant has not worked.

"Mr Gachagua remains the strongest and most popular not only in Murang'a county, but in Mt Kenya as a whole," says Ms Maua.

Ms Maina teamed up with Mathioya MP Edwin Mugo and nominated MP Sabina Chege to vote for Gachagua impeachment.

Nominated senator Ms Veronica Maina also supported the Gachagua impeachment, all now feeling ground heat that has rejected them.

But Ms Maina is seen to be in the process of trying to win the ground back especially for President Ruto whose rating in the Mt Kenya region has nosedived.

"Gone are the days when we used to run to Ruto while ululating. This is not the man we happily voted for. Today, he is our collective enemy and we must do all possible to reject him in 2027," says Murang'a Senator Mr Joe Nyutu.

Ms Maina has since election in 2022 been a point of conflict, so far telling off CS Alice Wahome, who when she was in charge of water docket was advised by the woman Rep "to cease behaving like a plumber instead of a government minister".

She was to later accuse a local journalist of being disrespectful "despite the fact that when you were recently sick we fundraised for you even when you are not from Murang'a county".

Ms Maina was to later be seen in a meeting at Nokras hotel in Murang'a town with the then county police commander Mr Kainga Mathiu only to later show up at Kigumo Bendera High school grounds to disrupt a women empowerment function.

It is not only in Murang'a County where Ms Maina causes royal rumble disruptions.

She recently attended an interview with Kogi's Corner TV and bragged on how she gets consulted and briefed by President Ruto and his men.

The date was November 7, 2024, where she disclosed that President Ruto and former President Mr Uhuru Kenyatta had briefed her that they were in talks and it was a matter of time before they came together for 2027.

She said that President Ruto had disclosed to her Mr Kenyatta had a critical say and following in Mt Kenya to help him craft a 2027 vote benefit.

"The things I happen to know about this government are many. I can confirm to you that the president and Mr Kenyatta are working together behind the scenes," she told Kogi's Corner TV.

Ms Maina added that "just wait and see for confirmation that mine is not idle talk...Soon you will see former key men in Mr Kenyatta's loyal circle being appointed into government to take up positions of those who have decided to drive our country over the cliff ".

Ms Maina said "in the next six(6) months I tell you that the president's men and some key allies of his predecessor will be reading from the same script as well as planning for the next move of 2027 together".

After President Ruto visited Mr Kenyatta in his Ichaweri home in Gatundu South constituency, Kiambu County, true to Ms Maina's word, on December 19, 2024, the president named Mr Kenyatta's allies into Cabinet and other key portfolios.

In the new look Cabinet, President Ruto nominated former Kiambu Governor William Kabogo as Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communication, and the Digital Economy to take over from Dr Nyambura who was nominated as Kenya's High Commissioner to Ghana.

Covid 19's CS for Health Mr Mutahi Kagwe was nominated as Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture to take over from Dr Karanja, who afterwards was nominated as Kenya's Ambassador to Brazil.

Former Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui has was nominated to serve as Cabinet Secretary for Investment, Trade, and Industry while former Murang'a Senator became board chairman for the Kenyatta University Referral Hospital.

Former Laikipia governor Mr Ndiritu Muriithi took up role as Kenya Revenue Authority board chairman.

It is out of such disclosures that make Murang'a Security Committee fear and respect Ms Maina in equal measure hence earning her the tag of Murang'a's strong woman, the queenpin.