Reports Leo Odera Omolo.

TENSION was charged and political temperature rose to the highest peak when the two strongest contestants for the lucrative position of Homa-Bay County governor met for the first time .

The political temperature rose and the otherwise peaceful fund drive meeting almost got marred by the arrival of political goons ferried to the meeting venue by one of the aspirants for Kasipul-Kabondo parliamentary seat for the alleged purpose of “heckling and shouting against the incumbent MP Joseph Oyugi Maguwanga who did not show up.

The aspirants for the governorship position were former Marie Stoppie Clinics Country Director Cyprian Otieno Awiti,and the Microsoft executive Dr. Mark Matunga.

Awiti was the chief guest, and at one point in time almost lost control of the rowdy youths. The youths were alleged hired and ferried into Oyugis town from Kachien location about six kilometers south-west of Oyugis Town.

Most of the rowdies appeared to have been excessively intoxicated with the illicit “Chang’aa” and were shouting aimless as they menacing approached the venue of the meeting.

The aspirant who is allegedly to have imported a mobile crowd into Oyugis town and the rowdy youths is Were Ong’ondo who is a running his own clinics in Meru in Eastern province, and is challenging the incumbent Joseph Oyugi Mguwanga for the Kasipul-Kabondo seat comes the next general election.

Dr Matunga who was on his way en-route to Kosele to attend the funeral of the mother of a Mr. Aduke, another parliamentary aspirant in the area, just stopped and dropped in at the venue.and found it invaded by rowdy youths involved in the shouting match to the top of their voices. He tried in vain to calm down and dished out some money thinking it would come them, but to no avail..

Also in attendane were Muhoroni politician James Onyango Koyoo, Rachuonyo North ODM branch chairman Jack Nduri.

Rumor making the rounds within Oyugis Town and its environs that Awiti and some of his friends have been fronting for the incumbent MP Maguwanga and wanted him to be re-elected come 2012 was refuted by Awiti who called for peaceful campaign and responsible utterances in p[public on the parts of leaders.

He said he and Dr.Matunga would battle it out for the governor position and it was up to the electorate to make their own choice as who is best suited to represent them. This is their {voters’} democratic right and does not entail the two to be enemies.

Awiti said that every candidate should account for his past contributions in terms of socio-economic development projects. And also what he has been doing to assist the down trodden Wananchi …

Matunga said that Homa-Bay County could be one of the richest counties in the country if the proper people with most suitable academic background are chosen to guide the institution. It will require someone with both national and international contacts, because the government annual grant will not be sufficient to run the most expansive Counties in the region. Someone should be there and who can successful in raising funds from Kenya’s development partners and international financial agencies because the government annul grant will not be sufficiently enough to run and managed the most expansive County in the region.

It was alleged from certain quarters that Awiti had been working on a formula to make successful appeals to the international financial institutions and / or partners to bring the money for the region’s development.so that he can stamp his authority in Homa-Bay County and had already single out loyal politicians under his patronage whom he want to represent the eight constituencies in the count…

It is said that in the larger Rachuonyo, Awit,i is grooming an inexperience junior, Banker Nicholas Koriko, for Karachuonyo constituency, while at the same time he is backing the perennial election looser Prof.Richard Muga for the newly created Kabondo constituency. And in Kasipul he has narrowed on the ever colorless Magwanga to carry on with the mandate for another five years.

Another unfounded allegation holds that Cyprian Awiti, who is aspiring for Homa-Bay county governorship, had conspired to combine force with Magwanga in co-ordination with an authoritative head of provincial administration in the area and their mercenaries during a fund raising function at the Oyugis Catholic church to undermine their opponents in Kasipul.

Among those targeted by Cyprian’s team was an ODM political heavy weight in Kasipul .Charles Ong’ondo Were.

Were, who is a Meru based business magnet, and his political think tank, have given Magwanga a sleepless night. He has also refused the patronage of Cyprian a thing that had made the two politicians jittery

It was further alleged by one Jamumbo Auka Mayora, an ODM activist and youth leader, that Awiti had conspired with those who were to attend function that include Koriko, Muga,Onyango Koyoo among others, Cyprian had said he wanted to prove to those who are opposed to his choice in Kasipul that he still command the unrivaled political and financial power in the region. He mobilized and paid hecklers through the area Mp but the youths took the money and demanded more.

It however, emerged that these allegations against Awit were unfounded and only the fertile imagination of Jamumbo Aguko Mayora, about who it is further being said is allied as a political hirling and surrogate of Were Ong’ondo.

On learning that their plans had failed, Magwanga decided to stay indoors, choosing to monitor the event through his proxies. Cyprian arrived incognito as the tense condition forced him to abandon his heavy duty vehicle and boarded a taxi,According to an article, authored by Jamumbo Aguko Mayora,.the crowd blocked another aspiring governor Dr.Mark Matunga who was also heading to the same function mistaking him to be Cyprian.Matunga who later left for the burial of Enock aduke’s mother in Kosele. Aduke is aspiring for the seat of senate in the Homa-Bay

Ends