Siaya Governor Cornell Rasanga battling litany of challenges

Siaya Governor Cornell Rasanga is battling a litany of challenges as he races against time to cement his legacy.

Mr Rasasanga has faced tough hurdles since his election in 2013. He is the only governor to face three elections within a span of five years.

He was the first governor subjected to a by-election soon after the 2013 elections, after his competitor William Oduol challenged his victory. Rasanga is also the only governor to have been sworn into office three times.

Fondly known as “pemblepe” by his supporters, Rasanga appears to be scaling one hurdle after the other as he settles to establish his legacy in a county home to Opposition chief Raila Odinga.

But even as he settles into office following his win against the poll petition filed against him by former Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo, Rasanga is yet to name his full Cabinet.

The delay has fueled tension between his office and Members of the County Assembly (MCAs).

A list of 10 Cabinet nominees he had sent to the Assembly for vetting and approval was rejected, save for one. The MCAs rejected the other nine nominees, saying the were either not qualified for the jobs or were placed in wrong dockets.

Rasanga then re-submitted a fresh list of nominees that had only two names from the previous list, among them the son to East African Legislaytive Assembly MP Oburu Oginga.

But the Assembly again rejected four of the nominees, endorsing only six.

This week, the Assembly said it was not in a position to vet and approve the remaining four names sent to them by the governor because the matter was still pending in court.

Three county residents -- Brenda Achieng, Isaac Okinyi and James Onyiko -- have filed a case in court challenging the nomination of the four. The three residents have accused the governor of ignoring regional balance, gender and the minority.

Rasanga told Sunday Standard he hopes the matter will be resolved soon.

“I have been in office for the past five years and I am very experienced. I cannot go wrong in choosing members of my executive committee,” he says.

The governor says his experiences have hardened him and made him a better leader

When he bought 14 tractors and hired 30 more to help mechanize farming in the six sub-counties, his critics took to social media to attack the project, saying the governor had only leased the tractors briefly for public relations purposes.

“I wanted to provide food on the table and for export. We resisted propaganda meant to discourage us,” said Rasanga.

He says Siaya recently recorded a bumper harvest thanks to mechanisation of farming.