By Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City

The forthcoming contest for the position of Kisumu County has taken a new political dimension following the entry into the race by several leading personalities in the region.

The former Nyanza Provincial Commissioner Peter Raburu is among those rumored to be eyeing the County’s Governor seat. If Raburu plunge himself into the contest, he will have to square it with Jack Ranguma a fellow clansman from Kano Kobura sub-clan. The latter is a former KRA senior official who at one time served s the joint receiver manager for Muhoroni Sugar Mills Ltd.

The majority of those who have already shown interest in this seat hail from the Kano plains with exception of Peter Hongo, the head of sales with the Mumias Sugar Company Limited in Western Province.

Others who are being rumored as having keen interest and claim on the seat include Walter Adell Kitoto, a prominent Kisumu City based businessman, the deputy clerk of the National Assembly Owino Omolo.

Adell Kitoto is the chairman of the powerful RIDOKAM {Riwruok gi Dongruok Mar Jokano Manyien}, a social welfare organization whose aims and objectives is to empower the people of Kano sub-clans economically.

The County of Kisumu is one of the largest, and only next to Homa-Bay in terms of geography and population. It covered seven parliamentary constituencies, namely Nyakach, Muhoroni, Nyando, Kisumu Town East, Kisumu Central, Kisumu Town West and Seme. It will be housed in Kisumu City as its new administrative headquarters.

The region’s main economic stay is sugar cane farming and sugar factories. There are four white sugar manufacturing mills. All located in the Nyanza Sugar Belt, namely Miwani Sugar Mills, Chemelil Sugar Company, Muhoroni Sugar Mills Limited and Kibos Sugar and Allied Industries. Other economic activities in this region include fishing and fish trades.

There are also three other manufacturing industries, namely Agro-Chemist plant at Muhoroni, Kisumu Molasses, situated at Otonglo within Kisumu Municipality and the run down Miwani Distillery, which together with Miwani Sugar Mills are currently under the official receivership.

All the industries when operation according to their manufacturing capacity have a combined labor force of about 12,000 . But owing to the recent economic recession, most of these industries are currently operating at half capacities of the production turn out.

The construction and the completion of the much expanded and improved Kisumu Airport is expected to enhance economic activities and confirm the City as the “Gateway” to east African true to its coined name which has been associate with Kisumu for ma Southern Sudan and other countries within the Great Lakes Region.

Horticulture and vegetables farmers in the highlands west of the Rift Valley will be able to export their crops via Kisumu Aiport as the facilities expected to accommodate bigger passenger and cargo planes on daily flight to Europe and other destinations.
Kisumu City s served with four connection highways, namely the Kakamega road, Kisumu Ahero Kericho and Ahero Oyugis-Kisii road, Kisumu Maseno and Kisumu Bondo road all tarmacked.

Kisumu County is bordering Kericho in the South East, South Nandi in the Northeast, Vihiga in the North, Siaya in the Northwest Bondo in the west, Rachuonyo South in the South East and Rachuonyo North in the Northwest and also the Nyanza Gulf {formerly Kavirondo Gulf}.

Local political pundits says Peter Hongo, the Mumias sales corporate director has a head star. This is because he hails from the Jo-Kisumo sub-clan where there is no one else eyeing for the same position.

Hongo is said to be an outgoing personalities who is liked by many people, particularly the youth and women. It is being rumored that the ODM Secretary General who is also the Minister for medical services Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o is currently considering the option of switching from defending his Kisumu Rural Parliamentary seat and contesting the Senate seat for the Kisumu County instead.

If Nyong’o joins the race for Senate seat, he would have to face off with the like of the populist Eng Maxwell Otieno Odongo, a Nairobi based architect Ochola Ogoda, who was once the chairman of Gor Mahia Football Club.

Ogoda is originally from Nyakach, but has since settled in the Muhoroni Settlement Scheme.Other rumors making the round says that former Nyakach MP Peter Odoyo is also keen in contesting the Kisumu County governor’s seat. But Odoyo could not be reached immediately. Another personality who is being mentioned as the possible aspirant for the governor’s seat is the US based Kenyan who is an accountant Fred Otieno Waga. He too hails from Jokano-Kobura sub-clan.

If clan’s politics raises its ugly head during the campaign, then candidates from the majority Jo-Kano from the Kano plains could have the advantage and one of the could clinch the seat. But hey could at the same time disadvantaged by the fact that there is likely to be more contestants from the same clans and sub-clans, and someone like Peter Hongo who is a resourceful person might stand a better chance of winning the governor’s seat in Kisumu County.

Ends