Former Lamu governor Issa Abdallah Timamy of Amani National Congress (ANC) has recaptured the top county seat after defeating incumbent Fahim Yasin Twaha of Jubilee Party.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Manager Maro Ade said Mr Timamy won with24,198 votes against Mr Twaha’s 16,054 votes.
“In the race, we had four candidates. Eric Mugo Kinyua garnered 2,151 votes, Umra Omar Bwana got 7,556, Issa Abdallah Timamy garnered 24,198 votes while Fahim Yasin Twaha got 16,054 votes. I therefore declare Mr Issa Abdallah Timamy as the winner and the Lamu governor-elect in the 2022 General Election held on August 9,” said Mr Ade.
Speaking shortly after receiving the IEBC election certificate, Mr Timamy thanked Lamu voters for electing him and ensuring he recaptured the seat he lost five years ago.
He noted that in the past five years, the people of Lamu have suffered from shortages of drugs, food and water in most hospitals and dispensaries across the county.
He promised that within his 100 days in office, he will ensure the hospitals are well-equipped with drugs and personnel to enable the Lamu people have access to quality healthcare.
Tourism, he added, was dealt a blow especially with the stopping of crucial festivals that used to market Lamu to the outside world.
He promised to revive all festivals in Lamu and ensure Lamu Old Town is rebranded as the Island of festivals.
“In fact, I take this opportunity to welcome all Kenyans and tourists, both domestic and international, to come to Lamu by November as we will be marking the Lamu Cultural Festival. We will do all this to market Lamu as a tourist destination. My target within my five-year tenure is to carry out development that would have normally been conducted in a ten-year period,” said Mr Timamy.
He said he will come up with a special development plan that will ensure the much-needed developments are brought to Lamu for the betterment of residents.
“We shall come up with a rapid results initiative that will ensure that within the first 100 days in office, we move with speed to ensure our key sectors, including health, education, tourism, fishing, and agriculture, among others, are revived,” said Mr Timamy.
On the incomplete projects undertaken by the outgoing governor, Mr Timamy said he will not neglect them but will work hard to ensure they are fully completed for the betterment of the taxpayer.
“We have many incomplete projects left by the [outgoing] regime. Some projects were even destroyed by my predecessor. Those are not someone’s projects. They belong to the mwananchi of Lamu and I won’t neglect any. In fact, we shall first carry out a baseline survey of all the projects across the county and work hard to ensure they are completed and improved,” he said.
Others who featured in the race are Umra Omar Bwana, the only female candidate, who vied on the Safina party ticket, and Eric Mugo Kinyua who contested on the Narc Kenya party ticket which is in the Azimio La Umoja coalition.
Ms Omar, a renowned humanitarian and conservation activist emerged third with a total of 7,556 votes.
Mr Mugo, a former deputy governor who worked with Mr Timamy between 2013 and 2017, emerged fourth after garnering a total of 2,151 votes.
