The late cabinet minister Simeon Nyachae held undisputed political authority across Kisii and Nyamira, dictating unified bloc voting patterns. His two most prominent sons, Charles and Michael, are campaigning aggressively for opposing national factions: Dr Fred Matiang'i and President William Ruto, respectively.
For over three decades, the former MP for Nyaribari Chache and Moi-era Cabinet minister, Simeon Nyachae, urged the Gusii region to speak with one voice.
As Provincial Commissioner, Cabinet Minister and presidential candidate, his approach was straightforward: clarity, firmness and direction.
Whether in his Gusii stronghold or in the corridors of State House, his political statements carried the weight of Gusii unity.
When Nyachae endorsed a candidate, Kisii and Nyamira listened. Bloc voting was guaranteed.
However, four years after his death in February 2021, that voice appears divided.
Former Cabinet Minister Simeon Nyachae. Impeached Kisii DG Robert Monda surprised many by trouncing Mr Nyachae, the then-Gusii political supremo, to become the Nyaribari Chache MP in 2007.
His sons - Charles Nyachae, former Constitution Implementation Committee Chair and East African Court of Justice judge, and Michael Nyachae, a businessman and political operative, now read from different scripts.
Early last month, Charles joined Jubilee Deputy Party Leader Dr Fred Matiang’i at Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka’s Nairobi home to console him following the death of his mother.
At Onyonka’s home, Charles lauded Dr Matiang'i for his efforts to unite the Abagusii Community and said there is no one who does not know who the community looks up to in reference to Dr Matiang'i.
“Now in Gusii, who does not know who the Abagusii people look upto? Is there anyone? Is that something we the Gusii people should fight about, honestly,” Charles posed.
Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution (CIC) Chairman Charles Nyachae at a past event. As the CIC boss retires, we can point out to him that he has not completed his work. FILE PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Three weeks ago, at a burial of one of his cousins in Keumbu, Charles further drummed up support for Dr Matiang’i’s 2027 presidential bid.
“I was sent by two of my friends here with their “rambi rambis.” One of them is Dr Fred Matiang’i. Do you hear about him or know him? We talked today morning and I told him that I am in Gusii. He told me to tell you the people of Nyaribari that he loves you and that you receive his condolences."
"He sent you greetings. Have you accepted his greetings? Thank you and I will tell him that you have accepted his greetings,” Charles said while adding that he had no doubts that Dr Matiang'i can steer the country forward.
On Friday, June 19, 2026, at a function in Gianchere Secondary School, in Nyaribari Chache Constituency, where Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba was the chief guest, Charles’s younger brother Michael rallied parents behind President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza government.
"I am in tutam (two term). I will stick with President Ruto like a tick. We want development,” said Michael, who is a parastatal chair at Development Bank of Kenya.
The divergence has since sent ripples across Gusii.
In politics, where the Nyachae name commanded bloc votes since the 1980s before he died, a split at the top raises one question: Would Nyachae have approved divergence in his family should he have been alive? What happens to his legacy when heirs disagree?
Michael Nyachae, who was appointed Chairperson of the State-owned Development Bank of Kenya (DBK).
Nyachae hated ambiguity. As District Commissioner in the 1960s and Provincial Commissioner under the former president, the late Daniel Moi, he was “The Enforcer”. In Parliament, he minced no words. Even in his 2002 presidential bid, his message was order and development.
That clarity built a dynasty. Nyaribari Chache became his fortress. His words could make or break politicians across Gusii.
His children inherited his style. Charles mirrored his father’s legal precision. Michael mirrored his commanding presence. For years, they both remained silent on partisan politics, protecting the family brand.
However, dynasties rarely survive the founder. Following his death in 2021, the centre was removed. What remained were two capable sons with different interpretations of Kenya’s landscape and their father’s legacy.
Today, Gusii voters face two Nyachaes, two camps and one divided legacy.
Charles has always favoured institutions over rallies. As the first chair of the Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution (CIC) from 2010 to 2015, he oversaw the implementation of the constitution.
As an EACJ judge, he built a reputation for legal sobriety. He tried his hand at elective politics in Kisii in 2017, but was unsuccessful in his senatorial bid.
Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i.
His backing of Matiang’i fits that profile. Matiang’i, like Nyachae Senior, earned the nickname “Super CS” for results. For Charles, the alignment is ideological: rule of law and technocratic governance.
Two endorsements in a month confirm Charles is positioning Matiang’i as heir to Nyachae’s influence. Having chaired CIC, he prioritises institutions over access, even if it means friction with Ruto’s government.
In contrast, Michael has built his influence through business and grassroots mobilisation. Since 2022, he has been one of Dr Ruto’s Gusii mobilisers.
His approach is pragmatic. Kenya Kwanza means development funds, cabinet positions, and influence over county projects.
The split between the two prominent Nyachae sons has reached Nyaribari Chache, the Constituency their father ruled for 15 years before he lost it in the 2007 elections.
Charles has endorsed the youthful politician Okeng’o Nyambane, who supports Dr Matiang’i’s candidacy for president.
Charles asked the people of Nyaribari Chache to elect Mr Nyambane as their next Member of Parliament so that they can work with Dr Matiang’i.
Meanwhile, on Friday in Gianchere, Michael campaigned for the re-election of Zaheer Jhanda, who is firmly in the Kenya Kwanza administration.
“If Nyachae was alive he would never have allowed this split that his two sons read from different scripts. For 15 years, one endorsement was enough. Today his sons sell different candidates to the same voters,” said Mr Walter Mokoro, an elder from Nyaribari Chache, who grew up watching Nyachae rule.
The fight for the constituency confirms that the split is not just about the 2027 presidency. It controls Nyachae’s base.
President William Ruto joins in a youth dance while presiding over the disbursement of the Nyota Business Start-Up Capital for young entrepreneurs from Kisii, Nyamira and Migori counties at Gusii Stadium.
Since 2022, Kisii and Nyamira have been torn between Matiang’i backers and Ruto loyalists. The Nyachae name sits at the centre of it all.
Nyachae once swung thousands of votes. Now, however, the elders are confused.
“Mzee’s sons tell us different things. Tufuate nani? (Which should we follow) Nyachae had one voice. Now we hear two,” says Mzee James Ogeto, 78, from Bobaracho.
For 2027, the stakes are high. If Matiang’i loses Gusii votes to Ruto, Charles fails. If Ruto loses Gusii despite Michael, his “inside government” argument collapses.
Political analyst Dismas Mokua, who has tracked Gusii politics for more than 20 years, sees the divergence in Nyachae's sons as something unusual, especially now that Nyachae senior is not there.
"It is not unusual for families to develop divergent views after the patriarch dies. It is not surprising Nyachae’s children pull in different directions. It is unfair to call it cracks. Both Charles and Michael have agency for decisions aligned to their interests." Mr Mokua says.
Regarding bloc voting, Mr Mokua claims that Kisii voters are no longer loyal to the Nyachae family.
"Kisii voters are now liberal and will take political decisions without reference to the Nyachae family interests and aspirations," Mokua says.
The renowned political analyst also says that he does not see any dynasty coming up from any other family in Gusii soon because of the financial muscle that the Nyachaes have.
"The probability of another Kisii/Nyamira dynasty is almost zero. Mzee Nyachae was rare. He remains one of the most consequential politicians in Kenya on account of his financial and political muscles. No one will have such influence. Kisii voters are liberal now and decide without reference to the Nyachae family. Their endorsements do not guarantee outcomes,” Mr Mokua adds.
The political commentator, however, acknowledges that 2027 choices in Gusii will be informed by Dr Fred Matiang’i’s candidature for the presidency.
“If Dr Matiang'i is on the ticket, he has the last word on outcomes. That will be compromised if he is not." Mr Mokua notes.
Read: When is the right time to name a presidential candidate? Why Gachagua, Kalonzo puzzle is not new
The analyst also says that the decision by Nyachae’s sons to read from different scripts could be a well-calculated move to keep the family in political power, irrespective of what the 2027 outcome will bring.
"Powerful families take binary positions as political insurance. It guarantees access to whichever side wins. The probability exists that the Nyachae family is taking insurance by backing both Ruto and Matiang’i," Mr Mokua opines.
Both sons claim they honour their father differently. Charles cites institutions. Michael cites development.
Elders, however, disagree.
"Simeon had one stand," says Mama Birita Kemunto, from Kiong’anyo village in Nyaribari Chache. "These children are divided. Nyachae would be angry. He taught unity. Now they teach division," Mama Kemunto adds.
Many residents of Nyaribari Chache say the Nyachae dynasty is not dead. But it is divided from the presidential race to constituency politics.
Charles and Michael are a test on whether a legacy can survive two visions.
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