- The jostling is intense with burials and church functions providing platforms for the would-be contestants to hawk their candidature.
- The 2027 face-off has been billed a battle royale of sorts, posing fresh headache to the incumbent Governor Amos Nyaribo.
Image: MAGATI OBEBO
A succession political tide is sweeping Nyamira county three years to the 2027 polls.
The jostling is intense with burials and church functions providing platforms for the would-be contestants to hawk their candidature.
The 2027 face-off has been billed a battle royale of sorts, posing fresh headache to the incumbent Governor Amos Nyaribo.
Nyaribo,through a proxy, however, says he is unperturbed.
He says his singular duty for now is service delivery and not the early campaigns to succeed himself.
“He cannot squander all the time in office politicking when much is lined up to be done for the people. Doing so would be a disservice to the voters who woke up early to put him office,” an aide said.
Nyaribo (UPA), is currently on a foreign trip. He is keen to make a final second stab for the second term in office.
He succeeded John Nyagarama (ODM) who died in office while serving his second term.
Today, a relentless force of titans among them Senator Okong'o Omogeni, ODM National Treasurer, Woman Rep Jerusha Momanyi and Nakuru Town West MP Samuel Arama appear dead set to block Nyaribo's return to office.
The woman rep, on her part, says she wants to be a Gladys Wanga, (referring to the Homa Bay county's stellar performance) of Nyamira.
She is upbeat of a win as she drums up support.
“Governor Wanga is testimony that women, when supported, can deliver,” she told the Star on Sunday.
Image: MAGATI OBEBO
Eric Onsongo, a political analyst and don at Kisii University says with the ongoing jostling for the Nyamira governor seat, this may force the incumbent governor to commit the remainder of his current term to prove his critics wrong.
“He may especially be focusing on getting his act right and this may entail committing more resources to key development projects to make his 2027 candidature appealing. Only through a good development record can his case be compelling when he returns to the electorate again ” Onsongo told the Star.
An aide to governor Nyaribo, however, said responding to every opponent was not part of why he was voted as governor.
The aide said some of the govenor's opponents have forged a career out of criticising him.
"They have the democratic licence to do so but let them also know this is not going to stop him from doing work for the great people of Nyamira,” he said.
However, not all agree with Nyaribo's sentiment.
Others like Omogeni termed his performance unimpressive.
“Death stalks our people daily, people are dying of common diseases because of lack of drugs," the Senator told the Star.
He claimed he was once woken up in the dead of the night to purchase drugs for a patient in Nyamira.
“This is what I'm talking about,” stated the senator who has since scaled up the visits to the villages lately.
Image: MAGATI OBEBO
He, however, played down the question about the apparent early campaigns.
“This is no early campaigns here, I'm only pushing for political hygiene at the devolved unit,” he said at Rigoma area in Kitutu Masaba during a function.
The motivation to make devolution work, he said, is the compelling drive to run for the governor seat in 2027.
“It is not about money or getting a higher pay. I have made my small cash in my little ways and what Nyamira sorely needs is political hygiene at the moment not the gory stories we are being entertained with,” the senator said.
ODM national treasurer Timothy Bosire pointed to what he termed "apparent deficit in capacity" in the way things are being done.
“There are so many issues which need to be addressed. Development should be a priority,” the former Kitutu Masaba MP stated.
The aide to Governor Nyaribo, however, spoke of a back-to-back engagement by the county boss in reaching out to his people with development.
"The governor is in the business of improving livelihoods. We have done 200km murram roads already across the county and still more is going on. Does this translate to a leader some are saying is not working?”he posed.
Nakuru West MP Samuel Arama has also been making inroads to villages visiting the poor and constructing houses for them.
Image: MAGATI OBEBO
He did not speak of his agenda when the Star contacted him for a comment.
Arama, however, promised to call back later but had not done so by press time.
An ally, however, said the legislator was keen on seeking to replace Nyaribo when polls are conducted in 2027.
“He has already constructed more than 50 houses and more are still on the way. Nyamira people want an action-oriented leader not people good at rhetoric,” he told the Star.