Busia-Governor Succession Race Is on As Candidates Pick Runningmates ,

The battle for the Governors’ office in Busia County is heating up with those involved going full blast after the recent political party primaries were concluded. The exercise saw various candidates bag nomination certificates from various parties.

Soon after the end of party nominations, candidates most of whom are Luhyas embarked on a mission of finding suitable running mates, mostly from the Teso community.

The front-runners are former Funyula legislator Paul Otuoma who secured an Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) ticket in a hotly contested nomination process with his rival, County Women Rep Florence Mutua. Otwoma has since picked former North Teso legislator Arthur Odera an ardent supporter of Deputy President William Ruto on whose defunct United Republican Party (URP) ticket he won the Teso North constituency seat.

One of Mr Odera’s neighbour says that since he lost his seat as MP during the last election, he developed a reputation of being un-available, perpetually away from his rural home and therefore inaccessible to the very same people who once elected him as a Member of Parliament, how will he now seek our support as Otuoma’s Deputy after being away for this long? He asks.

Otwoma’s team is facing an uphill battle from outgoing Nambale constituency legislator John Bunyasi from the Bakhayo community. The Community boasts of huge numbers of registered voters in Busia County, only second to the Teso community. Mr Bunyasi secured the Amani National Congress (ANC) ticket to contest as Governor, he has since secured a running mate from the Teso community, the Busia County Assembly Deputy Speaker Member of the County Assembly (MCA) Stephen Okaali.

The biggest shocker for the rest of the contestants is the entry of Dan Mogoria, former education CEC in the Mr Ojaamong’s government. He will be battling for the governor’s seat on the National Alliance Party of Kenya (NAP-K). Mr Mogoria’s entry into the race could be a game-changer for the rest of the contestants who come from the Luhyia communities, the community is notorious for casting votes in a fractured manner as compared to the Teso community known for bloc voting despite their Teso North and South traditional political mistrust and divide.

Last week Mr Mogoria unveiled Mr Stephen Adeya from Marachi East Ward in Butula as his running mate. Mr Adeya is a Graduate of Bachelors of Sociology and Community Development. The Marachi community has produced two Deputy Governors, first, it was Kizito Wangalwa and then Moses Mulomi.

Deputy Governor Moses Mulomi secured the nomination certificate from the Defense Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa’s Democratic Alliance Party of Kenya (DAP-K), he has picked Mr Tom Ipomai from Teso as his running mate.

Unlike Otuoma, Mr Bunyasi has already been publicly endorsed by the Bakhayo Council of Elders led by former Nambale Constituency MP Phillip Masinde, the Bukhayo Council of Elders by Peter Mang’eni and the former Council Bukhayo elders the late Jonathan Wabala.

Mr Mulomi secure a running mate from the Teso community Mr Tom Ipomai, Mulomi faces challenges with the fact that his party, DAP-K is allied to the Azimio outfit with a pact that they will not field candidates in areas where ODM have a large following.

Therefore, the possibility of DAP-K battling it out against ODM in Busia County is looming and cannot be taken lightly, especially because this general elections battle is between Ruto’s UDA-Kenya Kwanza political outfit Azimio at all levels, National and the Counties.