- Obura who is the East Africa Community CAS has declared he will run for Kisumu governor in 2022.
- Obura is targeting to lure to his side Kisumu Senator Fred Outa and former speaker Onyango Oloo.
Image: DICKENS WASONGA
Former Kisumu Central MP Ken Obura is assembling a team of former allies of Governor Anyang Nyong'o in his bid to unseat him in next year's general election.
Obura who is the East Africa Community CAS has declared he will run for Kisumu governor in 2022.
He is reaching out to Nyong'o's key allies during the 2017 polls in a formidable campaign strategy that is calculated to leave the governor isolated.
Obura is targeting to lure to his side Kisumu Senator Fred Outa and former speaker Onyango Oloo.
Oloo who lost favour with Nyong'o was replaced by Elisha Oraro.
He believes the governor was behind his ouster. Outa who was the face of the governor's campaigns in the last elections, is now his bitter rival.
The duo failed to agree on power sharing after the elections.
It is alleged that Outa and Nyong'o had a pre-election pact that would see them share cabinet slots and key county a 50/50 basis.
When the said MOU was dishonoured, Outa became the governor's political enemy, grabbing every opportunity to hit at his administration.
Already, Obura has pulled to his camp Nyong'o's first chief of staff Patrick Ouya.
Ouya and Outa come from the vote rich Kano clan. This is a critical vote in Kisumu county eyed by every governor hopeful.
In the last elections, Outa and Ouya played a pivotal role galvanising the support of this constituency behind Nyong'o.
The duo were viewed by former governor Jack Ranguma, who also hails from the clan, as traitors who had chosen to bed the 'enemy'.
In a surprise move that enhanced Obura's chances, Ranguma on December 4, declared support for the CAS. He also appealed to Outa to publicly endorse Obura for the seat.
It emerged during the declaration made at Ranguma's home that the talks to have the clan present a single candidate to face Nyong'o began two years ago.
Ouya made the revelation during the meeting with elders and representative from across the seven subcounties.
"I have decided to throw my weight behind Obura. He is young and has what it takes to face Nyong'o in the ODM primaries. I have no plans to go back to ODM following what I experienced in 2017," Ranguma said.
He said he was charting a new political path that would see him and the CAS build an alliance after the primaries. Ouya said it was time to unveil the outcome of the two years of political talks.
"This is the culmination of the meetings that began two years ago. We are here to let you know that we have spotted the white smoke, " he said.
After the meeting, Ouya, Obura and Ranguma embarked on a meet-the- people tour that saw them jointly address the public at Chemelil, Muhoroni, Awasi, Ahero, Rabuor before the convoy snaked its way within Kisumu CBD.
As his strategy to lock Nyong'o out of the rural subcounties of Seme, Muhoroni, Nyando, Kisumu West and East and Nyakach, Obura' s team is using poor road network to campaign.
Most access roads especially in Nyando and Muhoroni are in a sorry state owing to decade-long neglect.
Obura hopes to use his development track record during his tenure as an MP to get votes from the cosmopolitan constituency.
He has pledged to ensure resources allocated to the county by the National government and revenue generated locally are prudently utilised to boost development and enhance livelihoods and service delivery.
He represented Kisumu Central between 2013 to 2017 as MP before he lost to Fred Ouda.
The demolitions carried out by the county government of Kisumu, to give the City a face lift has become political fodder for various politicians seeking to unseat the governor.
Obura is among contenders for the seat who have used the subject as a campaign tool. Addressing the public on December 4, he promised to return hawkers to the streets of the CBD.
He also accused Nyong'o of being insensitive to plight of traders who had to be pushed out of their operations bases to pave way for the city's regeneration.
The modernisation projects, targeting improved social amenities and infrastructure development implemented under Kisumu Urban Project has also earned the City accolades that saw it nicknamed ' Europe'.
Obura is also targeting elders, youths and women groups across the county whom he is wooing to back his bid.
On December 4, elders from Nyakach, Seme, Kano and Muhoroni met at Ranguma home where they held a closed door meeting with Obura, Ranguma and Ouya.
Elders from Kano were mandated to reach-out to senator Outa having now convinced Ranguma to rally behind Obura's candidature.
During the impromptu rallies, Obura announced a series of meetings that will see him meet 3,000 delegates representing youth and women groups from Awasi, Ahero and Muhoroni in coming weeks.
Those who had declared interest in the Kisumu governor race included Onyango Oloo, Outa, Obura and Ranguma. Nyong'o will also be defending his seat next year.
With the last Saturday's declaration by Ranguma that some of the aspirants would back Obura, the race appears to be shaping up to a two a horse competition between Nyong'o and Obura in the ODM primaries.
-Edited by Skanyara