Nominated Senator Crystal Asige has disclosed that she never planned or wished to join politics.
The Persons With Disability (PWD) representative was as shocked as other Kenyans upon finding out she has been nominated to the Upper House.
She spoke on TV47’s Dr Ofweneke Tonight which airs every Wednesday at 7:30pm.
“I did not plan to join politics. Everything in my life has just been God surprising me everyday. I think what has been constant in my life is using my voice,” she began.
Asige stated that she has always been a member of Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) which is led by Raila Odinga.
Throughout the years however, Asige noted that she never sought any leadership positions within the party, but her input was noticeable.
“The first time suggested I go for the woman rep and I said no. I am not interested in those things because I am an artist. They however encouraged me to step up and people lobbied for me, so I got the ODM ticket,” Asige explained.
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The 2022 general elections did not work out in her favour as she failed to clinch that political seat. Asige contested the results in court even as she resumed her activism projects.
Two weeks after the election results were made public, Senator Asige travelled to Manchester, United Kingdom for a conference where she championed for rights of PWDs.
She received the life-changing news at that time.
“My phone kept buzzing in my bag and the person seated next me told me to switch it off. When I went for a break all I could see were congratulatory messages and I asked myself what had happened.
“Before I left, news of my potential nomination was still in the air. It was after going to court. So there was a two-week period where nobody knew what was going on. That’s the time I went to the U.K because they had called me so many months ago, visa and everything else sorted…” Senator Asige recalled.
The politician said she had to keep off the media for sometime as she transitioned into her new role. Asige went through orientation to understand how the senate works and roll out her agenda.
