Battle lines drawn as senators plot to unseat governors in 2017

Governors from Central, Western and Nyanza regions are feeling the most heat from senators keen to unseat them next year.

Perhaps nudged by the perception of the Senate’s diminished political clout, at least 17 senators intend to run for the governor’s seat, in some cases poisoning longstanding relations with the county chiefs 18 months to the polls.

Interviews by The Standard suggest stiff competition is in Central, Western and Nyanza regions where at least 10 senators are campaigning against their governors, sometimes the duels degenerating into nasty confrontations.

The differences have marred Senate grilling meetings where governors appearing to answer to audit queries have accused senators from their areas of instigating the appearances to discredit them.

And the rivalry is rocking the main coalitions as is the case in Meru, where Governor Peter Munya’s face-off with Senator Kiraitu Murungi is undermining efforts to merge Jubilee alliance parties.

Mr Munya at the weekend stormed out of a meeting attended by Deputy President William Ruto in Meru to protest a crusade to vilify him for resisting efforts to ditch the Alliance Party of Kenya for the new party.

The Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) is, too, rattled by the rivalry in Mombasa where Senator Hassan Omar is pushing to oust Governor Hassan Joho.

Vast experience

Some analysts believe Mr Omar, the Wiper Party secretary-general, and Joho, the ODM deputy party leader, are being pushed by rival business tycoons seeking to dominate Mombasa’s economy.

In Kisumu, Senator Anyang’ Nyong’o is unrelenting in the campaign to unseat Governor Jack Ranguma.

Siaya Senator James Orengo’s endorsement by ODM chairman John Mbadi to run for governorship against Cornel Rasanga has angered some party members in Siaya.

Physical confrontations have been evident in some fora where Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya and his archrival Senator Boni Khalwale have been in attendance.

“If I face Oparanya in the nominations, I will defeat him and when it comes to the ballot I will still show him the door. I am ready to take over from him as the governor of this county,” vowed Khalwale.

But Oparanya claims Khalwale is no better. “Khalwale should show locals what he did for the two terms he was Ikolomani MP,” said Mr Oparanya.

In Nyanza, the contests are shaping up in Migori, Kisumu, Siaya, Kisii, Nyamira and Homa Bay where all are eyeing the ODM ticket.

In Kisumu, Prof Nyong’o has been critical of Ranguma’s record and says he wants to use his experience as former Minister for Planning to put public funds to good use.

But Ranguma says the senators intending to vie for the gubernatorial positions should instead concentrate on protecting devolution.

“The senators should help Raila (Odinga) win the presidency rather than salivating for our seats. Governors need managerial and not political skills,” said Ranguma.

In Siaya, divisions have emerged in ODM after party chairman Mbadi endorsed Orengo’s candidature for governor.

Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo, who is also the chairman of the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), has criticised Mbadi who hails from Homa Bay for supporting some leaders in Siaya County.

But Mbadi has countered that Gumbo is working with Jubilee and cannot be trusted to run a county due to his lacklustre performance at PAC.

In Kisii, Senator Chris Obure has accused Governor James Ongwae of reneging on a pre-election agreement that was meant to share county posts among the region’s clans.

In Mombasa, Omar explained that he worked with Joho for a while after the 2013 polls but claims he realised the relationship was not beneficial to the people, whose expectations were not met.

“I have decided to contest the gubernatorial seat so as to improve service delivery to the people of Mombasa. It is not in doubt that the governor has failed to deliver. Development cannot be based on construction of cabro roads or providing some equipment to Coast Provincial General Hospital,” said Omar.

The political differences between Omar and Joho came to the fore when the former accused the county administration of failing to account for Sh496 million based on a report by the Auditor General.

Consultative meetings

In Embu, there has been speculation that Senator Lenny Kivuti is seeking to unseat Governor Martin Wambora who has the courts to thank for his hold onto power since his impeachment by the Senate.

In Murang’a, Governor Mwangi wa Iria was saved by the Senate when it rejected his impeachment by the county assembly, but he is busy fending off attacks by Senator Kembi Gitura. And two senators in Central and South Rift are positioning themselves for the gubernatorial positions.

Nyandarua’s Senator Muriuki Karue and Nakuru’s James Mungai have declared interest in the seats leading to friction between them and the county bosses.

While Mr Karue is scheming to oust Governor Daniel Waithaka Mwangi, his counterpart James Mungai is positioning himself to unseat Governor Kinuthia Mbugua in 2017.

Karue is said to have teamed up with Deputy Governor Mwangi Kirika to wage a political war against Governor Waithaka.

The two spent most of last year organising public forums to explain to residents the contents of an audit report questioning the spending of Sh400 million by the county government.

In Nakuru, Senator Mungai, who has been facing heavy criticism from residents, most of whom accuse him of never being on the ground, has been holding consultative meetings to strategise on how to approach the gubernatorial 2017 campaigns.

Differences between Governor Kinuthia Mbugua and the senator, who campaigned together ahead of the 2013 General Election, emerged after the governor announced his Executive committee members.

Mbugua’s camp then accused the senator of having a hand in the six-month stalemate between the assembly and the Executive over the nominees.

In the North Rift region, Nandi Senator Stephen Sang is said to be keen to wrest power from Cleophas Lagat while in West Pokot County, Senator John Lonyangapuo and his immediate neighbour Turkana Senator John Munyes are warming up to battle it out with incumbent governors Simion Kachapin and Josephat Nanok respectively.

In Kitui County, the incumbent, Dr Julius Malombe is facing opposition from Senator David Musila and former Lands Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu, in what observers believe could be the fiercest political contest in Ukambani.

In Machakos County, Alfred Mutua has often clashed with Senator Johnstone Muthama who has been moving around with Mutua’s estranged deputy Bernard Kiala.

And Makueni, Senator Mutula Kilonzo Jnr, whom Governor Kivutha Kibwana accused of being among those fanning conflict between the county government and its assembly that nearly led to dissolution of the county government, is too weighing his options.

“It is too early in my view to make a declaration on whether I want to be governor or not,” said Mutula, noting that the clamour for senators to become governors was not misplaced.