• The Chief Foreign Affairs Administrative Secretary was in ODM before he bolted out of the Orange party ahead of the 2017 general election.
• So far, no one has declared interest in the position of governor on a UDA party ticket in Busia.
Image: EMOJONG OSERE
When Deputy President William Ruto toured Teso North in Busia on November 4 last year, he asked residents to support a UDA candidate for the post of governor.
He said UDA will field candidates for all elective positions — governor, senator, MPs in the seven constituencies, woman representative and MCAs in each of the 35 wards in Busia.
So far, no one has declared interest in the position of governor on the UDA party ticket in Busia.
But Friday’s declaration by Foreign Affairs CAS Ababu Namwamba that he would support Ruto’s presidential candidature and that he had officially joined UDA left many speculating about his latest political moves.
The former Budalang'i MP was to host Ruto in Teso North subcounty in Busia on Friday during the Isambo football tournament. Ruto did not attend the event.
Teso North is the furthest constituency in the Northern part of Busia.
The sporting event was previously largely a Budalang’i affair.
Namwamba announced that a similar sporting event will be held and will attract teams from across the county. It will be held outside Budalang’i. He did not specify when it will be held.
Namwamba, however, said Ruto will be the chief guest.
He picked former Teso South MP Mary Emase, a staunch supporter of the DP, as the patrol of the tournament.
COUNTY EVENT
Speaking after Friday’s Talanta Mtaani event, local political commentators said the extension of the tournament beyond Budalang’i may have been aimed at introducing Ababu to Busia county politics.
The December 31, 2021 event at Acunet attracted UDA members, who have expressed interest in vying for various political seats in the county.
Among those present were Emase, UDA Senate hopeful Moses Wanyonyi, UDA county coordinator Susan Mangeni, Teso North party member registration coordinator and a host of MCA aspirants from Teso North, Teso South and Budalang’i.
“To you the people of Malaba and Teso North, don’t entertain the politics of stories. Don’t allow people to come here and tell you stories,” Namwamba, a former Public Accounts Committee chairman, said.
“In Budalang'i, we have decided we will stand firm with the chief hustler. We are not going to leave anyone behind. We will follow leaders who perform, and that is why we have declared that we will stand with leaders who perform.”
Ababu said Ruto had demonstrated the ability to lead Kenya.
“For me and my sister Emase, who believes in the yellow colour, we will organise another event that will bring together all football clubs in Busia county,” he said.
Kenyans, Ababu said, should embrace action-oriented leaders as well as elect development-conscious leaders.
He said without “action-oriented politics”, Kenya may take long to develop.
Ruto on November 4 said he is banking on the votes from the county to boost his presidential bid.
“I know you support me, that is why you gave me Emase and [former Teso North MP] Arthur Odera as MPs in 2013,” Ruto said.
“Let that support be extended to 2022. Are you ready to elect a UDA governor in Busia? I will give you a strong candidate, somebody who will walk with you as we form the next government.”
Namwamba’s politics, generally, from the time he joined ODM revolved around Budalang’i.
He was among leaders in Busia who rarely indulged in politics outside their respective constituencies.
The only time he indulged in politics outside Budalang’i was between 2013 and 2017, when he consistently criticised the administration of Governor Sospeter Ojaamong.
He claimed then that the governor was propagating sectarianism in appointments to key positions in the county besides promoting unequal development across the seven subcounties.
Namwamba claimed Ojaamong’s development projects favoured Teso subregion.
After he was voted out as MP in the 2017 general election, he has largely been inactive in Busia politics.
Political observers say his return to the county on December 31 last year may be a scheme to launch another political move that may see him vie for a key position in Busia in August.
If he declares interest in the post of governor, Namwamba will join Woman Representative Florence Mutua, former Funyula MP Paul Otuoma and Deputy Governor Moses Mulomi in the race to succeed Ojaamong.
Others are former Agricultural Finance Corporation managing director Lucas Meso, Nambale MP John Bunyasi and Kenya Ports Authority manager in charge of Infrastructure Vincent Sidai.
Edited by A.N
Image: EMOJONG OSERE