KENYA: BOTH CORD AND JUBILEE COULD BE THE BIG LOSERS IN THE KISII BY-ELECTIONS

News analysis By Leo Odera Omolo In Kisii Town.

UNLESS Cord and Jubilee coalitions changes their tactics and abandon the idea of handpicking their preferred candidates without giving the electorate the free opportunity to nominate the most popular candidates through by conducting preliminary nomination process the two leading coalition parties could face an inevitable defeat in the two parliamentary by-elections.

The commonly popular opinion in this town and its environs is that the voters are unanimous that they will not vote for any candidate who is hand-picked by the either CORD or Jubilee headquarters.

The by elections are due to be held in Nyaribari Chache and in Bomachoge Borabu. Cord has already declared its support for the immediate former MP for the area Chris Bichage. Its principal partner, the WPD, is said to be in the process of choosing Richard Tongi,the man who had petition the high court and caused the by-election.

Rumours making the round here is that Ford People’ s party which was sounded by the former cabinet Minister Simeon Nyachae.However, the two leading parties appeared to have ignore the influence of the former Chief Secretary in Kisiipolitics. Leaders of these parties might not be in the know how that ignoring Nyachae waves of influence in Kisii , which is still intac, they re doing so at their own peril. Moreover Nyachae is highly respected member of one of the eight sub-clans, which are known as the kamba nane group in both Nyaribari Chache and in Nyanribari Masaba. He is still calling the shots within the two region Kamba nane which controls the majority of votes in Nyaribari Chance

The By-election in Nyaribari chache could be so complicated by the entry into other election race of Kennedy Omanga, who is the son of the former Nyaribari MP, the late Andrew John Omanga, who had also served as a cabinet Minister for many years. His mother Clara Omanga was once a Councilor in Kisii Municipality and rose through the ladder to became the rank of the town’s Mayor.Other credible aspirants included Ben Mogaka. In Bomachoge, Jubilee has settled on the former MP Joel Onyancha, while the Cord has declared its support to Peter Kimori. Another credible candidate who is likely top give Kimori a run for his Kimori a run for his money is Alfred Nyaundi,

This time around, the by-elections will be pitting the two Kisii political giants in two different opposing camps. These giants are Prof. Sam K.Ongeri who will be heading the Jubilee campaign team and Kisii Senator Chris M Obure of CORD. The two men have fought some of the fiercest election campaign battle in Kisii County before. They were involved in a bruising campaign for the Kisii senatorial seat which Obure won on March 4.

In 2008 Ongeri and Obure were locked in another by-elecion in Bomachoge after the High court in Kisii had nullified Oyancha election of 2007.Obure had succeeded in pushing John Ogari to victory in the consequent by election.

Obure and Onger were in the last Nyayo cabinet which was headed by the retired President Daniel ArapMoi. The two had supported different camps during the constitutional referendum voting of 2005. Ongeri Qa is the PNU torchbearer in Kisii and backed the Banana side, while the Narc government was headed by President Mwai Kibaki. Thereafter the referendum voting saw Kibaki beaten hands down with over one million votes.

Kisii County is an area where clan politics is still thriving and at times even supersede party politics. Clan politics is popularly known among the Abagusii as {\Obonyumba}This kind of clans politics gives advantages to those parliamentary aspirant from larger clans over their minority neighbors no matter how good is a candidate.

As far as the politics of Kisii is currently stand on the ground cord still control the largest parts of the region, but the coalition which is led by Raila Odinga who lost the presidential contest on March 4 to President Uhuru Kenyatta of the Jubilee has lost considerable ground to the waves of Jubilee which has made major inroads into many constituencies. Raila, however, must switch from his party’s usually flawed nomination system and give the voters their democratic rights of nominating the candidates of their own choice instead of dictating to them the handpicked canddate.

In the two by-elections, smaller parties including that PDP of Omingo Magara which had only one MP, namely Jared Kopiyo {Awendo},could make gains.

CORD and Jubilee must also watch the activities of the party independence KANU whose RESUYRGENCE IN Kisii region is unceasingly becoming visible.

Ends

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