Why Prof Nyong’o will make the best Governor of Kisumu

It is the dream of every resident of Kisumu to see their County get better. It is even a bigger dream to see at the helm of County governance, a man who puts the interest of his people first and who will go an extra mile to improve their standards of living. That man is Prof Anyang Nyong’o, and I will tell you why.

Professional background As a political Economist, Prof Nyong’o understands the dynamics of holding a political office. The office of the governor is political and therefore shouldn’t be run like a private entity unliterary like an Mpesa kiosk. As an economist he understands what ails Kisumu and the remedy needed to make Kisumu a model County. He’s a brilliant planner with a clear blueprint on how to build a great Commonwealth for everyone. He’s a strong negotiator, a no nonsense professor, incorruptible with zero tolerance to corruption, a nationalist who can’t be intimidated by MCAs and a believer in hard work and performance- a culture that is lacking in Kisumu County government today.

Track record in politics and public office His quest for a better Kenya all started way back when he was still a student and eventually earned him an exile into foreign land when the then government wanted to silence him for championing for social democracy in Autocratic regime: human rights, democracy and equitable allocation of national resources. His record at the Ministry of Planning and National Development is exemplary. All his successors have really struggled to beat this record. As the Minister he developed and played a key role in the implementation of the PRSP, Poverty Reduction Strategy for wealth and employment creation which the NARC government used as a development blueprint. This paper is the idea behind Economic Stimulus Programs we see in every corner of Kenya.

Vision 2030 was also his brainchild, a brilliant blueprint that is to move Kenya to a middle income economy by the year 2030 although anti-development forces have worked hard to sabotage and frustrate implementation of this great vision/paper.

Although Health ministry is always a difficult one to run, Prof Nyong’o performed exceptionally above expectations when he was appointed the minister for medical services in 2008. He reformed KEMSA from being an agency to authority independent from political interference and now funded directly from the treasury.

He also transformed NHIF from a Hospital Fund into National Health Insurance Fund to provide universal healthcare to Kenyans. Together with Charity Ngilu in 2004, they initiated a process to provide Kenyans with universal health coverage. Prof Nyong’o seconded a bill (National Social Health Insurance Fund Bill in 2004) in parliament which passed through but Kibaki declined to sign the plan which would have established universal health insurance scheme for all Kenyans.

Several years later he thought it was wise to revisit this issue when he became the minister for Medical Services with a different strategy this time round using existing legal instrument of NHIF. Rather than introducing a new law, he decided to amend the National Social Health Insurance fund Act of 1998 against resistance from Trade Unionists and employers like FKE.

He insisted on reforming NHIF to cover both outpatient and inpatient and today poor women can afford smiles on their faces as they are able to deliver in ‘big hospitals’ that were reserved only for the rich thanks to Prof Nyong’os efforts.

His reign as a Member of Parliament for Kisumu Rural saw several schools constructed and a lot more expanded and upgraded. He took over the constituency when the economy of the nation was on her knees; roads dilapidated, pupils sitting on stones and classrooms in dire need of repair and rehabilitation. Women had to walk long distances to give birth in poorly equipped health facilities. By December 2012, no resident of Kisumu Rural lived further than 4KM from the nearest health facility, no child had to walk more than a kilometer to get to a primary school and 85% of public institutions had been connected to electricity.  Through his connections in the academia, he awarded many scholarships to needy students to study at various universities locally and abroad.

Kisumu has stagnated in development font despite receiving billions in funding. Therefore we need a focused leadership to revamp it so that it matches its contemporaries in the country and around the world. We should have impact of devolution if counties invest wisely the money they get from national government and development partners. Only Prof Anyang Nyong’o will ensure proper implementation of devolution and make Kisumu a model County.