The battle for succession at the counties is set to go down to the wire in the coming weeks, with at least nine deputy governors plotting to succeed their bosses.
Governors are walking a political tightrope on whether or not to endorse their deputies as the clock ticks towards the August 9 General Election.
Already, the plots by the county second in commands have put outgoing governors in a tight political spot as their deputies hope for their backing.
On Thursday, former Kiambu Governor William Kabogo said the succession politics at the counties would be intense because some governors are completing their terms.
“Obviously it is going to be tricky for some deputies hoping to be endorsed as some governors may opt to plan their own succession plans,” Kabogo said.
The former governor said he does not believe in politics of endorsements but rather the track record.
"For me it is about what the governor and his deputy have done for the period they have been in power,” Kabogo, who has been traversing Mt Kenya to market his Tujibebe Wakenya Party, said.
The ex-governor served as Kiambu's pioneer county boss between 2013 and 2017.
Already, deputy county bosses are aggressively scheming how to take over from governors who have served their two five-year constitutional terms.
Some of the deputies have also served their maximum terms and are barred by law from running for the same offices in the August 9 polls.
Article 180 (7) of the Constitution says that a person shall not hold office-- (a) as a county governor for more than two terms; or (b) as a deputy county governor for more than two terms.
The deputies eyeing the governorship include Hamilton Orata (Homa Bay), Nelson Mahanga Mwita (Migori), Joash Maangi (Kisii) and Philip Kutima of Kakamega.
Others are Adelina Mwau (Makueni), Fatuma Achani (Kwale), Stanley Tarus (Trans Nzoia), Daniel Chemno (Uasin Gishu) and Eveline Aruasa (Narok).
The nine have publicly declared their intentions to throw their hats into the gubernatorial rings, tipping the counties for major political showdowns.
As part of the schemes to position themselves, some deputies are in the race against time to push for the completion of some of the flagship projects.
With this, they hope to ride on the projects completed by their administrations in the battle against rivals ahead of the August 9 General Election.
However, the relationship between governors and their deputies would influence the succession politics at the counties.
For some deputies who have worked well with their bosses, they will most likely benefit from the endorsement of the outgoing governors.
But this may be a two-edged sword.
The pairs that have performed would have a huge advantage from the endorsements, while those that failed will be forced to battle the baggage of incumbency and under-performance.
Kakamega Governor Wicliffe Oparanya, who is leaving office after completing his two terms, has signalled that he could back his deputy of 10 years.
“My deputy has not only been loyal but also capable of managing the county government affairs. We have enjoyed the cordial working relationship,” Oparanya said on December 30.
However, Kutima could face a strong challenge in securing the ODM ticket from ex-Kenya Electricity Transmission Company CEO Fernandes Barasa.
Oparanya has previously insisted he would like to leave the county on what he described as 'good foundation' for the sake of continuation of his legacy.
"If you do not have a good foundation, even a house you are constructing will not stand. Therefore, I am putting up a strong foundation and that is why am working closely with my deputy so that when I leave, he takes over to go on with my legacy," Oparanya said in June last year.
Maangi, who is the Kisii deputy governor, has lately thawed his ties with his boss, even as he schemes to throw his hat into the ring later this year.
The former ally of Deputy President William Ruto has moved back to the ODM fold and is eyeing the party ticket to succeed Governor James Ongwae.
“My boss, Governor Ongwae will provide the direction we shall follow,” Maangi said.
“Our governor has worked very well and set a firm foundation of development. We shall follow his wishes on who he thinks will be better suited to safeguard and continue with his legacy,” he added.
Orata of Homa Bay has said he is interested in succeeding Governor Cyprian Awiti, arguing that he has the experience and expertise to run the county.
"I am in the race to succeed my boss in the August 9 General Election and God willing, I will be the second governor of Homa Bay come,” Orata said.
Orata, who has been seen as a loyal deputy to Awiti, has been holding the ambitions close to himself and at some point, said the decision was to allow Awiti to accomplish his mandate.
"I am still serving as deputy governor and I would wish to see a couple of things done. I would wish to see the projects which we started completed so that the governor can also leave a rich legacy," he said.
In Migori county, which is considered cosmopolitan, when the Luo community produces governors, the deputy has to come from Kuria.
But Mwita says he is going for the governor’s seat, complicating the county power matrix.
"I am going for nothing less than a gubernatorial seat come 2022," said Mwita who hails from the Kuria community.
In Makueni, Mwau believes time has come for women to vie for the gubernatorial seat, which she says will bring to an end the notion that women can only serve as deputies.
"My next political move is to succeed Prof Kivutha Kibwana. The direction we are taking is that of Tanzania, Kirinyaga, Kwale. We are after undoing the syndrome of women being deputies. We can also be governors," Mwau said.
