Education, affordable healthcare services and infrastructural development will forever be Governor Salim Mvurya's greatest legacy to Kwale people.
As he prepares to hand over office to the next governor, Mvurya is certain that he has something worth to be remembered for.
Mvurya, who is serving his second and last term in office, believes he has raised the bar very high that will force his successors to work very hard to match his track record.
Nine years in the leadership was not a walk in the park, but somehow, he managed to unshackle the county from the chains of poverty.
He has brought life to the thousands of Kwale residents, whose hope dreams and hope had been shattered by despair.
Governor Mvurya said through the Elimu ni Sasa Bursary Programme, he has been able to uplift the lives of thousands of bright but needy students.
The programme became a game changer to the Kwale education system as performance improved.
Since the onset of the devolution, Kwale has been appearing on the national scoreboard as one the top performing counties in national examinations.
Previously, Kwale was ranked among the poor performing regions, leading in illiteracy, poverty and teen pregnancies.
"When I first took over the reins of power, this region was nowhere in national development records. We were leading from the bottom," Mvurya said.
Mvurya, who did not have experience in politics before becoming governor in 2013, came into office with his deputy, Fatuma Achani, with whom they have been working to transform Kwale county.
His administration has helped build more than 150 modern health facilities and over 400 Early Childhood Education centres in all the county 20 wards.
The governor said he has improved water services provision, constructed several water dams for irrigation and domestic use and improved the road network connectivity.
"My agenda was to enhance food security, improve education, healthcare services and ensure massive development in Kwale," Mvurya said in a past interview.
WHO IS MVURYA?
Mvurya was born in 1970 at Kadzandani village, Kasemeni ward, in Kinango subcounty. He is married to Christine Mwaka, who works at Base Titanium.
They are blessed with four children. In 2018, one of their sons — Hassan Wanini Mvurya — topped the Coast region in the KCPE examination, in which he scored with 440 marks out of 500.
In August, he lost his mother Sada Mgala,75, who died from oesophageal cancer.
Mvurya went to Mavirivirini Primary School before proceeding to Mpeketoni Secondary School, later joining Egerton University for a Bachelor's degree in Agribusiness Management.
He attained his Master's in Participation, Power and Social Change from the Institute of Development Studies in England.
Mvurya also holds certificates in non-governmental organizations management from MS-TCFC in Arusha, Tanzania.
Before he developed an interest in politics, Mvurya served as acting country director for Plan International Kenya in 2008.
He also had an opportunity to work for the Aga Khan Foundation and Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy and Development, an institute of Egerton University.
Through his years of experience in leadership programmes and with the support of elders, Mvurya joined politics because he believed he could use his managerial and development skills to change the lives of the people of Kwale.
He was first elected to power through the ODM party, but defected to the ruling Jubilee Party in 2016 after getting wind that some Orange party officials wanted to deny him reelection ticket.
ODM party members had accused him of being disloyal.
In 2017, he was reelected through the Jubilee Party ticket but his win was disputed in court by a voter.
The case was dismissed by the High Court in 2018 on grounds it had failed to meet the required threshold and ordered the complainant to pay Mvurya Sh2.5 million.
SUCCESSION BID
Mvurya has endorsed his deputy, Achani, to succeed him in 2022.
In a previous interview, Mvurya said Achani is ready to take on the mantle and continue his legacy.
"Achani is the right person to succeed me. I have worked with her and she has gained a lot of experience," the governor said.
Mvurya argues that any other leader will slow down his development push for the Kwale people.
In June this year, while in Makamini, the governor said he has strived hard to transform the county, but more is yet to be achieved even as time runs out.
He said Achani is the right person to continue with what he started.
Mvurya will also be remembered for the Msambweni by-election on December 15, 2020, in which he played a huge role in making the independent candidate Feisal Bader emerge victorious.
Mvurya joined forces with the allies of Deputy President William Ruto to secure the seat, which had been left vacant after the demise of Suleiman Dori, who succumbed to blood cancer.
Meanwhile, Mvurya's next move after retiring as a governor is still unknown.
In an interview at Kwale headquarters, Mvurya said time will tell on what he will become after 2022.
“We will talk about that when the right time comes," he said.
Weeks ago, Devolution CAS Charles Keter, while launching the Kombani Fresh Produce Wholesale market, urged Mvurya to go for national politics.
"Let him come up there to be shown the way. He must not stay at home and it's better if he gets out of this region for his growth," CS Keter said.
Mvurya did not, however, respond to Keter's request.
