Ruto now eyes MCAs instead of MPs in scramble for Gusii votes – Weekly Citizen

The scramble for the Kisii region vote appears to be reaching its crescendo with William Ruto extending his fishing net out to MCAs from the Kisii and Nyamira county – thanks to shrewd networking and goodies being dished out compared to his main competitor Raila Odinga.

Governor Ongwae

In the recent past, the leadership from the two counties led by governors James Ongwae and John Nyagarama who are serving their second and last terms in office have been fronting Interior cabinet secretary Fred Matiang’i to go for the presidency which Raila has been gunning for several decades.
It should be noted that those rooting Matiang’i for the presidency are just testing the waters to bring him on board in the next government since he has no political vehicle to enable him move round the country to market his policies and priorities except the ministerial flag which has faced several implementation challenges.
Several sublocations and locations have not gone without chiefs and their assistants for close to more than five years without vacancies being advertised nor has the government constructed offices for them and failure to address their remuneration plus several other operational logistics.

CS Matiang’i

The two governors who have ganged up with their senators Sam Ongeri and Okong’o Omogeni and women representatives Janet Ong’era and Jerusha Momanyi have sidelined their deputies Joash Maangi and Amos Nyaribo who are marshalling their troops towards the DP.
It should be observed that the team the two governors are relying on are unpopular among the electorate and might follow their predecessors senators Chris Obure (Kisii) and Kennedy Mong’are ( Nyamira) and women representatives Mary Otara (Kisii) and Alice Chae (Nyamira) who are politically dancing at home after their humiliating defeat during the last general elections.
Whilst Maangi who has declared interest to succeed his boss come the 2022 polls, his strength can be realised from the fact that he has already won the support of seven out of the nine MPs from the county and a record 41 out of the 45 elected MCAs from ten Kisii county assembly.
Behind Maangi are MPs Silvanus Osoro (South Mugirango) Richard Tong’i ( Nyaribari chache) Alpha Miruka (Bomachoge chache) Zadock Ogutu (Bomachoge Borabu), Innocent Obiri (Bobasi), Ezekiel Machogu ( Nyaribari Masaba) and Oroo Oyioka (Bonchari).
We have learnt that there are 11 other MCAs who are quietly supporting the tanga tanga movement but are with the Ongwae team so as not to antagonise the electorate.

Angwenyi

In Nyamira, home to deputy governor Amos Nyaribo, MPs behind team tangatanga are Joash Nyamoko (North Mugirango), Vincent Kemosi (West Mugirango) and Shadrack Mose ( Kitutu Masaba) and a host of MCAs who are behind the kusema and kutenda gentleman from the Rift Valley.
The Ongwae team has MPs Jimmy Angwenyi (Kitutu Chache North), Richard Onyonka (Kitutu Chache South) and Ben Momanyi (Borabu) and a sizeable number of MCAs led by Boochi Borabu ward MCA Samwel Ang’asa Onuko and Kisii Central’s Kefah Mogaka who are fully behind Matiang’i.
Maangi who has maintained his firm and steady stand wherever they share podiums with his boss is guaranteed an automatic ticket for the county’s coveted seat from the party the deputy president will vie from and is feared by many for predicting the outcome of the next polls.
He is on record to had declared in 2017 during a public rally addressed by Uhuru Kenyatta that all those who will not join their team will automatically go home as it so happened in the ballot as they romped to victory together with Governor Ongwae,
During the burial of former MP for Nyaribari Masaba Hezron Manduku which was attended ny Raila and Matiang’i, Maangi who was the master of ceremony played a clever political move so as to remain relevant in the next political dispensation which he repeated recently at Ikonge during the burial of businessman Stephen Ongenyo Mogeni where he called for the unity of the Omogusii.
Maangi is seen to be a focused personality having opposed the referendum earlier to which most leaders were against his stand and they are now back to what he stood for.