Ochillo Ayacko is the Migori governor-elect after flooring eight other candidates in a tight race which had the shadow of national politics.
In results announced by the county returning officer Ben Moseti, the ODM candidate garnered 175,226 votes followed by DAP-K candidate John Pesa who had 126,171 votes.
Former Rongo MP Dalmas Otieno, who vied on a Jubilee Party ticket, got 21,174 votes, while Rebecca Maroa of UDA got 6,563 votes followed by Jane Moronge of UPIA who got 5,994 votes.
“I want to say to my worthy competitors that they made this journey to the win worth it. They still have a part to play in making Migori great again. I pledge to work for voters and end endemic corruption,” Ayacko said.
This was Ayacko's third attempt after his interest was quashed in 2013 when the Orange party handed Edward Ayugi. Outgoing Governor Okoth Obado won the polls.
In 2017, he vied officially as an independent candidate, but was defeated by Obado in a hotly contested race that ended up in a court petition and brewed bad political blood between the two.
In a by-election two years later, Ayacko was elected as the third county senator after the death of Ben Oluoch Okello.
Obado was appointed Deputy President William Ruto Nyanza pointman, which made Ayacko’s win to be seen as a litmus test for popularity of ODM leader Raila Odinga in the cosmopolitan Migori county.
In the senatorial race, ODM candidate Eddy Oketch won with 295, 228 votes followed by Jubilee candidate Sophie Dhibrah, who had 27,682 and Billy Mijungu, an independent candidate, getting 14,735.
However, another independent candidate Fatuma Mohammed defied all odds to win the woman representative by garnering 154,538 votes followed by her closest rival, Dennitah Ghati, an ODM candidate, who got 117,597 votes.
Obado’s wife Hellen, who vied as an independent candidate, trailed a distant third with 39,054 votes.
Two other independent candidates for the seat —radio journalist Josephine Sirega and Zilpa Ochuodho — got 13,346 and 12,152 votes respectively, while Jubilee Party candidate Lillian Akugo was last with 8,639 votes.
In the eight constituencies, no MP was re-elected as both retained their seats, with ODM getting six from the Luo-dominated region. Kuria East MP Marwa Kitayama and his Kuria West counterpart Mathias Robi from minority Kuria tribe also regained their seats.
Suna East MP Junet Mohamed won a third term with 26,516 votes, with his closest rival Kileleshwa MCA Elias Okuma of DAP-K coming in a distant second with 4,978 votes in a race that attracted three other candidates.
Awendo MP Walter Owino bagged 29,693 votes to floor former Migori executive Isca Oluoch who had 11,000 votes. In Suna West MP race, Peter Masara got 23,579 votes, defeating Joseph Ndiege (Independent) who had 14,945 votes.
Nyatike MP Tom Odege floored UPIA candidate Edick Omondi Anyanga to retain seat, while Rongo MP Paul Abuor won against Jubilee candidate Nelson Oluoch.
Uriri MP Mark Nyamita also defended his seat against independent candidate Jared Kwaga.
