Hopefuls dangle the carrot to win hearts of electorate in Kisii

By Beauttah Omanga

The scramble for the Kisii votes is taking a new dimension; with leading presidential hopefuls wooing the community with promises to support one of their own win an important seat in Nairobi County.

State House contenders who have promised to stand by a Kisii candidate in Nairobi include Prime Minister Raila Odinga, his two deputies Uhuru Kenyatta, and Musalia Mudavadi.

First was Uhuru whose foot soldiers Ferdinand Waititu and Mike Mbuvi alias Sonko told a music extravaganza that TNA was willing to support a Kisii to capture a seat in one of the Nairobi constituencies.

City seats

Mudavadi, who traversed the two Omogusii counties a week earlier, told voters they should not confine themselves to Kisii, but take advantage of their numbers in major cities, including Nairobi, to gun for seats.

Raila on his part took the promise to the community during the recent Esagasaga night, a Kisii cultural gala, to challenge the community to field a candidate in any of the city seats promising his personal support.

“I am urging the Abagusii to identify one constituency in the city and ODM will preserve a ticket for that person,” the PM told an ecstatic crowd of revellers at Carnivore, Nairobi.  

The PM heaped praise on the now populous community, which he described as hard working people who have substantially invested in the city, especially in real estate, transport, and the financial sector.

Popular support

Raila, who enjoys popular support in Kisii and Nyamira counties, told his audience that ODM meant well for the community.

“ODM is your party. Forget those other parties. ODM is a national party unlike those others that are tribal based,” said the premier.

He appeared at the function in company of CIC Chairman Charles Nyachae, sending tongues wagging as to whether he was indirectly challenging the son of former Cabinet minister Simeon Nyachae to try his hand in politics.

The younger Nyachae has not shown interest in politics even though he has remained in the limelight after his father retired from politics.

Ahead of the Esagasaga night appearance, Raila had held a meeting with members of the community at Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi, where officials of the Mwanyagentinge group, another of the community’s welfare groups, hosted him.

He participated in many traditional activities, which saw him bond well with the participants.

One of those who attended the Nyayo National Stadium event and accompanied Raila to the Carnivore gala was councillor Paul Simba Arati, who got the PM’s nod to contest a city parliamentary seat.

The PM challenged Arati to press on with his dream, promising to support him.

“Even before the Prime Minister talked of his desire to support a Kisii in one of the seats in Nairobi, I was on the campaign trail,” said Arati, who is eyeing the Dagoreti North seat.

Raila’s prompting that following the creation of nine more constituencies in Nairobi, it was imperative for the community to get city representation in Parliament, has attracted attention of politicians who had focused their ambition in Kisii and Nyamira counties.