This archive report was first published on 30 October 2019.
Ronnie Osumba's Turbulent Journey into Politics ¶
Published on October 30, 2019
Ronnie Osumba, a former running mate of Peter Kenneth in the 2013 presidential election, has shared how politics affected his life and marriage.
According to Osumba, the biggest challenge he faced after entering politics was the strain it put on his marriage.
"Tulipoteza. Niko hapa baada ya kujihusisha na siasa na kuanguka. Mambo yangu sasa yalikuwa mabaya," Osumba said in an interview with Engage.
He revealed that his marriage had been under strain since the 2013 election, where he lost to the incumbent president.
"Ilikuwa ni pigo kubwa na lilinimaliza kabisa. Kwa mwezi mmoja nilikuwa katika shimo kubwa, sikujua la kufanya," Osumba said.
Despite the challenges, Osumba has come to accept that politics is a part of his life and has even found motivation in it.
"Napigana vita vyangu, ndoa yangu, kifedha, afya, kazi lakini hata baada ya yote hayo, nimekuja kupenda vita hivyo kwani ndio vinanipa motisha," he said.
Before entering politics, Osumba was a successful employee at Safaricom, but he left his job to pursue a career in politics.
After a period of struggling to find his footing in politics, Osumba joined Twitter and eventually received support from Bob Collymore, the former CEO of Safaricom.
He later secured a job at another company and was eventually appointed to the National Youth Development Agency by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
"Nimejifunza kuwa maisha ni safari yenye changamoto nyingi. Unashinda zingeni na zingine zinakushinda lakini lazima uendelee na maisha," Osumba said.
