Matiang’i dilemma in Gusii politics – Weekly Citizen

Interior cabinet secretary Fred Matiang’i is in a political dilemma on who to support between Borabu MP Ben Momanyi and former North Mugirango/Borabu MP Joseph Kiangoi who are his political buddies for the Nyamira county gubernatorial seat come the 2022 general election. Matiang’i allies have formed a new party to take interest of the community in Uhuru Kenyatta succession. Matiang’i who is the de-facto spokesman of the Abagusii community could determine who sails through the ballot come the next general election and has so far managed to win the support of governors, senators and women representatives and a host of MCAs from the two counties of Kisii and Nyamira. Momanyi, Kiangoi and former Kitutu Masaba MP Walter Nyambati are seen as frontrunners for the coveted seat which has so far attracted 17 candidates with Kitutu Masaba leading with seven, West Mugirango five, North Mugirango four and Borabu constituency one candidate.

Ben Momanyi

History will be repeating itself like the 2013 and 2017 general election as the Abagetutu clan is likely to lose – thanks to their disunity and disorganisation as chances are that the gubernatorial seat is likely to remain in the Bogirango clan for another two terms of five years each. Both Momanyi and Kiangoi who have been attending Matiang’i’s functions maintain that he should be respected and whoever goes against him should be rejected by the community because he has forged political unity irrespective of party affiliations among leaders from the region. So far, Momanyi who has twice been elected on the Wiper ticket is the sole candidate from Borabu constituency while North Mugirango constituency has Kiangoi, James Maganda and Job Nyasimi and deputy governor Amos Nyaribo.

Joseph Kiangoi

In West Mugirango constituency, those who have started reaching out to their supporters include former Nyamira senator Kennedy Mong’are, former area MPs James Gesami and David Anasi, Erneo Nyakiba and Dennis Abincha. Three former MPs from Kitutu Masaba who include Nyambati, Mwancha Okioma and Timothy Bosire are also coveting the seat held by John Nyagarama who is serving his second and last term in office. Others are John Kumenda, former high school principal Gerald Orina and Charles Mochama. It is instructive to note that Nyambati won the parliamentary seat on former ruling party Kanu ticket while Okioma was brought in through Simeon Nyachae’s Ford People party with Bosire winning the seat courtesy of the ODM party euphoria which engulfed the entire Gusii region then. Momanyi who made it to parliament through the Wiper party which was strange in the Gusii region is credited to have initiated the Borabu Teachers Training College, Ekerubo Gietai Training Institute, tarmacking of the KijauriNyansiongo-Manga road among other projects.

Kennedy Mong’are

Despite spirited campaigns which were made by the Jubilee party in Gusiiland where Matiang’i was the patron, Momanyi trounced the party candidate Patrick Osero who ensured that Matiang’i was defeated at Esise polling station where he voted in favour of the opposition leader Raila Odinga, which makes the entire system to accord him the respect he is enjoying today. Also humiliated was ODM’s Nyandoro Kambi who sponsored several medical camps and bought geometrical sets and clips for Standard Eight and Form Four candidates besides putting in place other campaign strategies. The incumbent Nyagarama has so far not indicated on whom he will support when he retires but the Matiang’i factor will give the other candidates a run for their money given that the community has already started dancing to his tune. Candidates from Kitutu Masaba have been avoiding Matiang’i with Nyambati who was the Jubilee party flagbearer for the gubernatorial seat permanently missing out from the picture while Bosire cannot forgive the CS who campaigned against him which saw him trounced by Jubilee’s Shadrack Mose.

Amos Nyaribo

Okioma who has been mobilising his Abatabori clan who command a sizeable number of votes in Kitutu Masaba constituency has been described as a spoiler just like he did in 2017 where he was campaigning for Nyagarama outside the constituency and worked against Nyambati at home. In fact, word has it that Okioma might be Momanyi’s running mate come the 2022 polls for the Abagetutu clan to have two slots of deputy governor and women representative unlike now when they have the only one of the women rep. Nyambati hails from the smaller Abanyagesimo clan who have stuck with him politically and will have to redesign his political strategy having been deserted by political mate Kiangoi who was eyeing for the senate seat but is now out in full swing for the top county seat.“If his ancestors did not allow him win the seat in 2017, let him forget because this chance is mine and I am seeing a lot of good response from across the county”, said Kiangoi, when challenged on his parting ways with Nyambati.