•The 2022 race has continued to attract many aspirants in the county after three more expressed interest.
•The three include businessman and philanthropists Joshua Oron, lawyer Kenneth Amondi who in the past contested for the Kisumu assembly speaker and Elijah Oburu.
Image: MAURICE ALAL
Image: MAURICE ALAL
Image: COURTESY
Political bigwigs are positioning themselves to replace Kisumu Central MP Fred Ouda who is serving his first term.
The 2022 parliamentary race has continued to attract many aspirants in the county after three more expressed interest.
The three are businessman and philanthropists Joshua Oron, lawyer Kenneth Amondi who in the past contested for the Kisumu assembly speaker and Elijah Oburu.
“It is true I am fully in the race. We want to bring in a fresh servant leader who has the interests of the people at heart‚” Oburu said.
Even though he has not publicly declared, businessman Kevin Kwere is also said to be interested.
They have been crisscrossing the constituency to popularise their bids ahead of the 2022 polls.
Joshua Oron banks on his philanthropic and charitable work he has done for years in Kisumu county and Nyanza region at large.
He has been participating in several fundraisers and development projects and generously supporting the youth and women's groups.
“My campaign is purely based on ideologies and issues affecting the people of Kisumu Central,” Oron said.
Oron has been financially supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in Kisumu.
Recently, more than 2,600 vulnerable people including street urchins in Kisumu benefited from his feeding programme.
The beneficiaries were drawn from estates in Kisumu Central as part of his Christmas gift to the less fortunate families.
Oron said the feeding program is an annual exercise to enable the needy people to celebrate the festive season.
The incumbent Fred Ouda exuded confidence that he will retain his seat considering his development track-record in his first term.
He will bank on a scholarship programme for the bright and needy students in the constituency.
“I have done infrastructure including roads and schools,” Ouda said.
Last year, he commissioned the construction of Kosawo ultra-modern secondary school in Manyatta slums that will cost Sh 97 million.
Apart from projects, the MP said he has been doing charitable work including supporting vulnerable families.
Amondi said he looks forward to ensuring effective representation of the constituency in the National Assembly when elected.
“There is no proper representation of the constituents in the assembly. This is one of my pillars,” he said.
The advocate said Kisumu Central being the hotbed of politics in Nyanza region requires a well experienced and competent leader to represent them.
He supported the ongoing developments in Kisumu city but said such should be done through public participation to make residents own the project.
“We need to oversight the national government projects to ensure they effectively benefit the citizens. Even as we welcome infrastructure developments, such should be done after those to be affected have been relocated to alternative spaces and compensated,” he said.
Amondi will also ride on consolidating gains made so far by small-scale traders through championing for financial empowerment initiatives to increase their income.
“I intend to bring in leadership style that is issue-based and purely aimed at championing for the interest of the people,” he said.
Amondi further said he plans to ensure the Land Act is in place when elected that will see compensation before demolition and eviction is done. This, he said, will promote small scale business in Kisumu.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris