Is task of governing Kisumu too herculean for Nyong’o – Weekly Citizen

Things are not looking good in the lakeside town of Kisumu with the business community outraged by the policies of the Kisumu county government that continues to witness the situation graduate from bad to worse. Even before residents begin to regret the decision they made in 2017 when they replaced former governor Jack Ranguma with university don and longtime political science professor, questions already abound whether Governor Anyang Nyong’o is a blessing or a curse to Kisumu county. Nyong’o rode on popular ODM wave and coined anti-Ranguma propaganda as he packaged himself and deceived wananchi with lies and half-truths about his economic policies. His problems, however, began soon after he took over the office and started questioning land ownership by the Odinga family in Kisumu where things got worse when he started launching ghost projects Opinion is equally divided whether Nyong’o will be another one-term governor like his predecessor Ranguma or whether he will adjust and pull an extraordinary moment with the help of his party leader Raila Odinga, Being a political science professor he may be keeping secret cards closed to his chest, but Nyong’o’s style of administration and management of county affairs is bound to work against him.

Jack Ranguma

Basically, leadership is one of the most important factors determining the success of a person and the system he leads. However poor leadership can change an established socio-economic trajectory and seriously affect employees’ morale and even cause the county’s bottom line to plunge. Soon after assuming office Nyong’o went on a witchhunting spree and sacked workers mercilessly whom he perceived as Ranguma sympathizers and anyone within his ranks who differed slightly with any of his ideologies, His iron fist tactic was good but he did not know when to stop, and in the end, there was an element of robotic management that resulted in lack of teamwork, departments of government and sectors in his administration building fan operating on autopilot mode, and the remote control is said to be kept in his bedroom. Against the backdrop of his campaign manifesto as promised wananchi, seemingly he has done little to improve the lives of majority jua kali sector, traders, boda boda youths and women, instead, he was accused by a section of Kisumu residents of collaborating with Indian businessmen to grab sections of their lands If only one person or department complained then the problem would be isolated and assumed to exist only between the two.

Fred Outa

However, when multiple team members complain then something is terribly wrong. Kisumu county workers, jua kali sector, fishermen, hoteliers, matatu operators, youths, boda boda, businessmen are all up in arms against the commander, When it is all about the same leader and his style of administration and usually about the same things then you know something is wrong with Nyong’o The sooner he changes the better. Lack of team chemistry has led to a breakdown in service delivery in Kisumu and caused some workers to quit. This has contributed to increased anti-Nyong’o chorus partly orchestrated by incitement and majorly by poor service delivery. This has in effect reduced overall productivity and a weakened bottom line in Nyong’o’s political affront. The leak in Nyong’o’s ship began when every other opinion and contribution was disregarded and disparaged, every decision and idea was an exclusive affair of the royal family and the value of inputs of the subordinates was either dismissed or read with political undertone resulting in high employee turnover. Awarding of tender and contracts remained an emotive issue in his administration to add to complaints of nepotism and bias The situation is worsened by accusations of micromanagement of county operations by Nyong’o’s family.

Peter Anyang Nyong’o

It is alleged that his wife can not resist the temptation to control and direct the tiniest actions taken by employees. They want to be involved in just about everything their employees do, and the effect is stifling. This has bred resentment in the employees as they feel monitored as if they are children. They feel a lack in both autonomy and responsibility hence the question if Nyong’o is insecure about his abilities and is simply afraid of giving up their sense of control despite his medical condition and his fears of being overshadowed And so residents of Kisumu are doubting if Nyong’o entered office with a clear and persuasive vision and a well-defined way to get there. Residents are also asking if they have the wrong person in the right place or vice versa. This they attribute to Nyong’o’s style of management as lacking in important qualities such as priorities for Kisumu county, inspiration and focus. “Nyong’o has no sense of direction. The employees are confused, the economy is in shambles, traders are disillusioned, residents of Kisumu stare at a hopeless future and this has led them to moments of anxiety. Regrettably, we replaced something bad with something worse. If we don’t correct this mistake in 2022 Kisumu will get to its worst,” said Senator Fred Outa. “Nyong’o is a mistake that should have not happened to Kisumu county. He is lacking in presence, direction and transparency. Nyong’o presides over an unfocused team taking on unproductive tasks. There is hardly any impact for the billions received and it seems we shall wallow in stagnation up to 2022 that will result in economic attrition. We can’t afford a continuation of this mistake beyond the deadline,” he said.