Writes Leo Odera Omolo In Homa-Bay Town.
Cyprian Otieno Awiti who is the leading contender for the elective position of Homa-Bay County governor last week made a surprise visit to the region to resume his campaign for the lucrative and powe4rful position of the County governor.
Awiti a former Marie Stoppie Country director has kept a low profile for close to three months sparking off speculation that he had withdrawn his candidature.
But last weekend the candidate hit the ground with thud like a thunderstorm and traversed the full length and width of Homa-Bay County while meeting the people, addressing roads side rallies.
Awiti told the voters at the numerous roadside addresses that he had taken a two months sabbatical leave and gave a break to the campaign trail n order to re-organize his campaign team and at the same time new contacts with his supporters in all the seven parliamentary constituencies.
He began his tour with a tour of Rusinga Island in the Suba region where he had attended the colorful opening ceremony of the multi-million shillings ultra-modern SDA Church at Gunda Kaswanga.
He later toured Ndhiwa, Rangwe, Homa-Bay Town, Karachunyo, Kasipul and wound the tour with the visit to the newly created parliamentary constituency of Kabondo-Kasipul while addressing small meetings here and there as well as ins0ecting the numerous socio-economic projects which he had been supporting
The populist Awiti warned his rival for the seat to get prepared well for a bruising election campaign battle, which he termed “will be the mother of all campaign s ever seen in the region.”
He told his rivals to strictly adhere to the ODM doctrine of non-violence campaign. At the same time he urged the voters to register as voters in their thousands so that they could vote for the party leader Raila Odinga to realize his State House ambition. But also to remember to vote for him to enable capture the County’s governorship.
Before he started his extensive tour of the region rumor had gone ahead that he was heavily armed with millions of campaign money, thus attracting hundred of people who scrambled to have a glimpse of him wherever he stopped to greet the electorate.
In his native Karachuonyo Awiti visited all the major sub-clans and villages to consult with the elders, women and youths leaders. Some of his meeting with the villagers went up to late in the evening only coming to an end at around 9 P.M. In some places he was forced the car headlights after dark, but he continued talking to the voters.
Awiti is credited and well documented for having spent millions of shillings in donations to various projects across Homa-Bay County. He is on record of being one person who has conducted more Harambee across the County than any other leaders in the expansive region.
He is facing two challengers, one of his rivals for the same seat them being the immediate former MP for Rangwe Eng.Philip Okundi, and a Maseno University professor of mathematics Prof.Akeyo Omolo.
Okundi is, however, disadvantaged by his advanced age as well as recent removal from the powerful ODM Board of elections where he performed dismally causing the ODM to lose out to other parties in series of parliamentary and civic by-elections due to much flawed and poorly organized nominations exercises.
Ends