Aspirants for the Kisii governor seat are selecting their running mates in anticipation of increasing their chances of winning party nominations and the subsequent election.
Incumbent Governor James Ongwae is searching for a running mate after his deputy, Joash Maang’i, defected from ODM to Jubilee, where he will challenge Governor Ongwae.
Senator Chris Obure has chosen Albert Nyaundi, former chairman of Ford People, as his running mate. They will run on the Jubilee ticket. Maang’i, however, has not announced his running mate yet and will compete with Obure for the Jubilee nomination.
Lumumba Nyaberi, who lost to Ongwae in 2013, will run on a Wiper Party ticket but has not identified a running mate. Manson Nyamweya, another governor hopeful, has selected Amasago Secondary School Principal Innocent Mogunde as his running mate and will run on the Kenya National Congress (KNC) party ticket after leaving ODM.
Bonface Omboto, Bungoma County Engineer, has also expressed interest in the seat. According to pundits familiar with the county’s politics, aspirants are considering running mates from their rivals’ strongholds to garner more votes.
Clan Politics and Vote-Rich Constituencies ¶
The selection of running mates may also focus on vote-rich constituencies like Bomachoge, Bobasi, and Nyaribari Chache, as clan politics significantly influence Kisii county leadership.
In the previous election, various positions were distributed among clans through a form of negotiated democracy. However, the current lineup of candidates suggests a potential shift in this dynamic.
For instance, Nyamweya, Obure, Maang’i, Omboto, and Nyaberi hail from the vote-rich Gucha sub-county, while Ongwae is the sole candidate from Kisii Central. The distribution of candidates across different constituencies may impact the election outcome.
Kisii had 412,945 registered voters in the last election, with significant numbers in Bobasi, Nyaribari Chache, South Mugirango, and other constituencies.
Despite being allies in 2013, Ongwae and Obure have differing opinions now, with Obure criticizing Ongwae for not fulfilling election promises. Ongwae defends his track record and accuses critics of unfair judgment.
The recovered account cited reporting by Mediamax.
