Clan arithmetic to determine next Kisii County Assembly speaker

John Billy Momanyi, candidate for the Kisii County Assembly seat. Momanyi lost the Bonchari parlimentary seat running on an ODM party.

The race for the powerful county assembly speaker position has intensified in Kisii County with candidates who lost in the August polls jostling for the seats albeit deep tooted clannism to balance the political arithmetic.

Clans that do not have mange to elect leaders on the various county level seats are keen to capture the seat which has attracted quite a number of individuals in different professional fields including the banking and legal industry.

The speaker position is considered one of the most powerful in counties after that of the governor.

The incumbent speaker Mr Ondieki Okerosi will not be seeking his second term in office after he bowed out saying he had consulted his family and advised not to.

Mr Kerosi further cited family issues as some of the reasons why he was no longer interested in the position.

Key contenders for the seat include ODM's Bonchari Constituency poll loser John Momanyi, Alfred Nyangweso and several other poll losers including; Joshua Ondora, Norah Nyamwamu, Rachael Otundo, lawyers Gideon Nyambati, Isiah Mosota and Onyancha Koina.

Nyambati has been serving as the Assembly legal officer until early last year when he resigned to venture into his private legal firm business. Both Mosota and Koina have also been serving as members of the Kisii County Assembly.

The region has six major clans; Abegetutu which has the governor seat, Abanyaribari (senator), Abamachoge (Deputy Governor), Ababasi (Woman Representative), Abagirango and Abanchari.

The contest boils down to contenders from Boanchari, Bogirango and the upper Bomachoge. This election of the speaker will also be determined by other key appointments to the County Executive including the position of the Finance Minister, County secretary and Chairman Public Service Board.

Currently both the County Secretary and the chairman of the Public Service Board positions are held by individuals from the Abagirango clan leaving Abanchari as the main contenders for the speaker's seat.

John Momanyi who hails from Bonchari said that he was set and determine to clinch the set after several meetings with leaders including MCAs. "We have consulted widely I can agree that am ready for the position," he said.

A former Bnak Manager with Kenya Commercial Bank and close ally to NASA presidential candidate Raila Odinga, Momanyi said that he well understands the issues that affect the Assembly having also served as the chairman of the Public Private partnership Association in Kisii.

"The position requires an individual with vast experience in management and leadership. I am the best suited for the position," he said.