It’s a two-horse race for the Bungoma gubernatorial seat as party politics and revival of collapsed agricultural firms take centre stage slightly more than a month to the polls.
The contest is between the incumbent, Mr Wycliffe Wangamati, of Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K) and Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka of Ford-Kenya who is seeking to make a comeback after losing the seat in the 2017 elections.
Others in the race are businessman Zachariah Barasa of United Democratic Party (UDP) and Martin Ndiwa Simotwo of National vision party (NVP).
However, the campaigns are revolving around the two main political coalitions—Kenya Kwanza Alliance, whose presidential candidate is Deputy President William Ruto , and the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party, which Mr Raila Odinga leads.
Governor Wangamati won the seat on a Ford-Kenya ticket in the 2017 polls after garnering 197,422 votes against Mr Lusaka, who ran on the Jubilee Party ticket and ended up with 175,929 votes.
The two main protagonists are banking on the popularity of their political formations and development record in what is expected to be a do-or-die rematch.
“For the past five years, 303 out of 400 Early Childhood Development and Education centres have been completed while enrolment rate has increased from 105,000 to 145,000 and 10,650 bright but needy students have benefitted from Wangamati Scholarship Fund,” the governor said.
Mr Wangamati initially picked former Tongaren CDF manager Sitati Nangalama as his running mate before dropping him for Mr Evans Murumba.
His choice of Mr Murumba is aimed at retaining the Tachoni votes after his deputy Charles Ngome went for the Senate seat, aiming to dislodge Ford-Kenya leader Moses Wetang’ula.
Construction of a 300-bed capacity mother-and-child hospital and a 100-bed capacity hospital in Sirisia and hiring of 500 healthcare workers are some of his achievements in the health sector.
“During my tenure, I’ve established 14 dairy cooperative societies and installed coolers, helped coffee farmers earn Sh1 billion from the crop, funded 600 youth groups at Sh200 million while investing in innovation to transform the sector through value addition chains,” the governor said.
He also takes credit for the building of the 6.5-kilometre Sang’alo-Kanduyi dual carriageway, 10.4km road in Bungoma and Kimilili municipalities and the ongoing Sh1.4 billion Musikoma-Kanduyi dual carriageway.
Mr Wangamati has frosty relations with Mr Wetang’ula who was instrumental in his election in 2017 following the aborted Ford-Kenya party coup.
“Wetang’ula has publicly endorsed Lusaka to unseat Wangamati in a Ford-Kenya party ticket and the endorsement will play a role in the voting patterns,” Mr Isaac Wanjekeche, a political analyst said.
Mr Lusaka wants another chance to complete the ‘abandoned’ projects he initiated while at the helm of the county. He wants to be gauged on the basis of his performance while in office, taking into consideration that he used to receive about Sh6 billion every financial year against Mr Wangamati who gets Sh12 billion.
“I strongly believe that owing to my sound development track record, the electorate will make an informed decision and give me a second chance to complete the projects I initiated in the nine constituencies that have since stalled,” said Mr Lusaka.
He said that, when he took office, he spent the first one-and-a-half years putting in place the structures for the devolved unit.
“Despite the little budget I received during my tenure, I was able to do several projects that our people are proud of,” he said.
Mr Lusaka said his focus will be on empowerment of residents to earn more income through the bottom-up economic model.
One of the projects he wants to complete is the high altitude centre he built in Mt Elgon to nurture youth talent.
“I will also bring back the trade loans to locals, reintroduce women, youth and persons living with disability enterprise funds,” he said.
Mr Lusaka also promises to introduce fertiliser and seeds subsidies to boost production and ensure food security. “I set up the Chwele chicken slaughterhouse that was supposed to slaughter 3,000 chickens per day but it’s yet to be fully utilised,” he said.
Mr Lusaka has settled on Ms Janipher Chemtai Mbattiany of United Democratic Alliance (UDA) as his running mate. Ms Mbattiany is a gender activist from the Sabaot community in Mt Elgon Sub-county. The Senate Speaker said he picked Ms Mbattiany, 50, due to her vast experience in gender matters.
Nairobi-based businessman Barasa is promising fresh leadership. He ditched UDA after Kenya Kwanza fronted Mr Lusaka as its Bungoma candidate.
Mr Barasa’s campaign slogan is ‘Maskini Kwanza’ (poor people first), promising to rescue residents from poverty.
“The two regimes [since the advent of devolution] have ridiculed Bungoma residents with their shocking corruption scandals,” he said.
“Bungoma is best known for the jerrican and wheelbarrow scandals but we want to bring it to an end,” he said.
Mr Barasa said it’s unfortunate that the poverty level in the county is rising in an era when devolution is bringing development to the grassroots.
Mr Barasa has picked former intelligence officer Kingsley Mutali, a prominent member of the Tachoni community, as his running mate.
Mr Simotwo, 31, a graduate of actuarial science and a former banker comes from the minority Sabaot community. “I want to tackle the insecurity challenge and ensure the pathetic roads and dilapidated health facilities in Mt Elgon are revamped,” he said.
He said his administration will prioritise empowerment of women and youth by giving them tenders. He also plans to set up a tea factory in Mt Elgon.
TOMORROW: Mombasa County, where the race to succeed Governor Ali Hassan Joho is on
