This archive report was first published on 26 July 2019.
As the 2022 elections draw near, a surprising development is unfolding in Nyanza region, where two former MPs who defected to Jubilee are making a comeback bid, backed by none other than Raila Odinga.
According to sources, former Kisumu Central MP Ken Obura and his Karachuonyo counterpart James Rege have been secretly meeting with top government officials and ODM leaders, including Raila himself, to plot their return to power.
Obura has been conducting harambees across Kisumu county, accompanied by top government officials, in preparation for a bruising duel with Governor Anyang Nyong'o in the 2022 elections.
Rege, on the other hand, has been gaining popularity since the famous handshake between Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga, and could pull surprises in the upcoming elections.
Hostility against government-leaning politicians and outright insults and violence by the Luo community against government and undermining developments initiated by successive governments have seen the region lag behind in terms of development.
