Patience Nyange: Here's how I'll change Taita Taveta as governor

When Patience Nyange declined an attempt to force her to step down in favour of a male candidate for the Taita Taveta gubernatorial seat, she knew the odds were against her.

She quickly decamped from Wiper Party and joined the National Rainbow Coalition (Narc), which gave her an opportunity to vie for the seat. Her rivals include Governor Granton Samboja, who is defending the seat on a Jubilee Party ticket.

Today, Nyange is among a handful of women who have waded through the murky political waters across the country to make sure their names are on the ballot come the August 9 General Election.

She says she carries the aspirations of residents and strongly feels she is best placed to lead the county by using her expertise in public relations and communication management to rebrand and make it attractive to investors.

Top on the list of her priorities is to create alternative sources of revenue. “We want to bring investors into our community to expand our revenue base. We will be targeting the unique features in each sub-county to generate alternative sources of revenue.”

She says her team has already mapped out investment opportunities available in each sub-county and if elected, she will focus on those key areas to deliver on her election pledges. She has already analysed the county’s problems and opportunities.

She will also focus on diversifying livelihoods by targeting the export market. “We have four constituencies, namely Voi, Mwatate, Wundanyi and Taveta. We have mapped all of them and identified key areas to improve on livelihoods. For instance, we plan to turn Wundanyi into an agricultural hub by revamping factories and embarking on value addition.”

In Mwatate, a number of minerals are mined and exported in their raw form, meaning locals do not benefit from the resources. “We will build mineral factories to start processing our own minerals and exporting finished products.” 

In Voi, her government will create an export processing zone and provide jobs to the youth. This approach, she says, will open up the economy and pave the way for huge infrastructure development, including roads, water and electricity. “The whole idea is for us to rebrand our county and make it attractive to everyone.” 

Read: Patience Nyange: ‘Girl next door’ who wants to be Taita Taveta’s third governor

Nyange will also equip health facilities and provide adequate medicines and personnel. For hard-to-reach regions, she will deploy mobile doctors.

Her other priority area is education. She plans to introduce computerised schooling right from primary to secondary level. In addition, she promises that students who will be called to national schools will receive full scholarships.

She promises a government that communicates. “Currently, development in the county is spontaneous and not sustainable. The electorate has been denied and deprived of meaningful platforms and spaces for engaging and interrogating budgetary procedures, processes and development priorities of the county government.”

Use of funds

She also promises prudent management of devolved funds to ensure residents get value for money. “I have a track record. I have served in positions, where, within a short time, I have made tangible impact. I promise to use county resources well to make them self-sustaining.”

She will not do all this alone. She will lean heavily on public participation through barazas. Hers will be an open-door policy. “I will pursue a proactive, efficient, effective, transparent, accountable, and people-centred leadership.”

Widely known by her slogan Aminia mama (believe in a woman), Nyange is upbeat that she will emerge victorious. She says she will use her academic gains for the benefit of the county. She has a Master’s in International Studies and Diplomacy and another Master’s in International Public Relations and Global Communication Management from Cardiff University, United Kingdom.

Nyange’s political fortunes are also pegged on her ability to consolidate her support base. She will be banking on the immense support she draws from the youth, women and professionals.

But things are not as smooth as they sound. She has had to confront a number of challenges. “I come from a very patriarchal community that does not believe in women leadership. The first thing when they look at you is: ‘Oh, she is a woman? Is she able? Where is she married? if she is married elsewhere, we cannot trust her with leadership.’ The questions around women are questions that already place a woman at a place where she cannot. She cannot because she is a woman, she has children or has no children. The list is endless.”

Critics

Lately, Nyange has had to deal with critics who say the county is not ready for a woman governor, while others feel she should have contested an MCA seat. But this has only served to strengthen her resolve. “We are saying it is time for women and no one is ever ready for anything.”

She says campaigns are expensive. “Everyone has an expectation, if ‘you don’t help me today, how will you help me tomorrow? We may never see you after elections. So help me now.’ There are a lot of expectations pegged on how much can you give before the election.”

Her advice to women seeking elective positions is: It is tough but stay the course. Always ask yourself why you are in the race, what prompted you to get here, make sure your ‘why’ is what pushes you because every time it gets tougher, your ‘why’ will keep you going.

“I am hoping many years down the line, Taita Taveta will be looking behind and appreciating my role in helping the community change.”