News Analysis By Leo Odera Omolo in Homa-Bay Town.

The rumor making the round in this lakeside town, which is soon to be the administrative headquarters of the Homa-Bay County are all pointing to the direction that a Nairobi based prominent business magnate has added his weight in the race for the elective position of governor.

However, this writer could not confirm whether Sammy Wakiaga who is also still in the public service would be contesting for the governor position. Phone calls made to his mobile number went unanswered as this writer inquired to ascertain the truth about widely spreading rumor bout his candidature.

Wakiaga hail fro Rusing Island in Mbita constituency within the Suba region. However, fears persist that his candidature is likely to tilt voting power balance within the region.

Already there are two other aspirants from the some region, who are vying for two different elective positions. These are the Immigration and Registration of Persons Minister Gerald Otieno Kajwng’; who hails fro Mbita mainland who has declared his intention to capture the Homa-Bay County Senate seat,and Dr Mark Matunga, from the neighboring Mfangno Island who has been on the campaign trail vying for the governor position.

It is too early for anyone to make intelligent guesswork with the vie to ascertain whether the mainlanders, mainly non-Suba voters from the communities living in other parliamentary constituencies like Ndhiwa, Rangwe, Homa-Bay, Karachuonyo and Kasipul-Kabondo would entertain and succumb to the whims of aspirants fro the minority. The logistics of their winning strategies also leaves a lot to be desired.

The number of the registered voters within the Suba region I far much less than 70,000, a figure which runs at par with the registered voters in Kasipul-Kabondo alone.

The contest for the Homa-Bay County governor has attracted the ODM stalwarts like the immediate former Rangwe MP Eng.Phillip Okoth Okundi, the former Marie Stoppie Country Director Cyprian Otieno Awiti from the eastern part of Karachuonyo, Prof. Akeyo Omolo from Karachuonyo. There is also the likely hood that one o two more aspirants for the same position might sprung up at a later days.

The popular murmuring around include a million questions as o why the politicians from the minority Suba community thinks they are the best and most suitable to capture all the important seats with the Homa-Bay county governance? Is there some high degree of arrogance on part of the contestants?

On the ground Eng.Phillip Okoth Okundi who hail from Kochia West within the Rangwe Division is currently leading the pack while being trailed closely By Cyprian Otieno Awiti of Karachuonyo, Dr. Mark Matunga from Mfangano and Prof.Akeyo Omolo from Karachuonyo

Okundi who has invested heavily in two cotton processing plants {Ginneries}one in Homa-Bay and the other one in Kendu Bay Town. He has also invested heavily in property development in Homa-Bay town under his family business flagship Asego Trading Company is viewed by many people as a serious contender for the governor position given his wealth of experience in public administration and at a high level management.

If all the five aspirants, namely Awiti, Wakiaga, Matunga Prof Akeyo and Okundi decided to go flat for the seat, it is obviously that regional voting balancing would favor Okundi. Whose home turf constituency included locations such Kochia Eest, Gongo, Kochi East, Kagan West and Kagan East, Gem East, Gem West,Homa-Bay Township, Kanyada West, Kanyada East and Kanyada South all in on basket for a man who once represented the constituency in parliament very effectively and left a mark a far as his track record of development activities are concern.

Okundi is also reported to have made major inroad in part of West Kasipul, Kachien and parts of Karachuonyo West. And in addition to this, taking into considerations that there is no aspirant for the same position from the votes rich Ndhiwa constituteny, Okundi will be a hard nut to crack come the polls.

Cyprian Otieno Awiti is another aspirant to watch. His popularity has spread like bush fire in all the constituencies apart from his home backyard of Karachuonyo. He is also the darling of the voters in Kasipul-Kabondo.He has also built formidable support in other communities outside his Karachuonyo backyard. particularly in Ndhiwa, Rangw, Gwassi and Mbita and he is a man to watch.

Awiti has traversed the full length and width all parts of Homa- Bay County making hefty donations for churches, schools and all other economic and social development activities making him the best known candidate. In addition to donations, Awiti who is a staunch member of the Catholic church has the steady following within the catholic church stretching fro Magunga, Mirogi, Asumbi, Oriwo, Nyahera and Mawego Roman Catholic Mission which is located within a stone throw from his rural home, which is located In Kobuya location within Karachuonyo East.

The youthful aspirant Dr. mark Matunga, a computer expert with Microsoft International, Africa’s office is a formidable campaigner. He has penetrated and carried his campaign deep into Kasipul-Kabondo, Karachuono, Rangwe, Gwassi and Mbita. He has yet to make major inroad into the votes rich Ndhiwa, though he is enjoying the political goodwill of the Suba people in both Mbita and Gwassi constituencies. Working closely with school teachers, farmers and ODM party sub-branches and has captured the heart of many voters within the Homa-Bay Town. He is the darling of the Suba voters in both Mbita and Gwassi constituencies.

Matunga who is also a church minister is very popular with the youths in all the constituencies and he is mobilizer with unique organizational ability and could struck shock and surprise to his rivals. His oratory in public addresses can turn the mountains and draw the attention of audience to near hysteria.

Reports from the field is pointing Prof Akeyo Omolo as having mad very little impact in his bid to win the governorship despite of his illustrious academic background.

For the moneyed Wakiaga, it is too early for anyone to make the proper assessment and yet he has not been on the ground. Moreover, he is still serving as a senior public servant in the government. Once his campaign trail hit the ground, it is when one can make an accurate intelligent guesswork about the impact of his candidature. But for now most people are relying mostly on rumor being spread like bush-fire by the rumor-mongers.

Wakiaga’s popularity could only be given proper assessment once he has hit the ground. He has enormous investment in Mbita town and around Rusinga Iland where he is a parner in a tourist class hotel and also involved in water transport system, in a company which is managing the Mita Ferries Limited.

For the Minister Otieno Kajwng’; to win the Homa-Bay Senate seat, he will have to run extra mile, and not simply coining and composing he “Bado Kuna Mapambano empty political lyrics”

He has repented Mbita ever since 1992 long before the creation of Gwassi constituency which was heaved out of Mbita 12 years ago, but he is leaving neither legacy nor any sign of tangible development in the area. His relations with the Suba community has deteriorated to an extent that he will hardly capture no more than ten per cent of the Suba people’s votes. May be is targeting the votes fro his uncles in Karachuonyo, though there is no assurance to that effect.

The situation could be more worse if the abrasive Joshua Orwa Ojode, the Ndhiwa MP could chose to abandon his parliamentary sat and join the race for the Senate seat.

Ojode has a very colorful track record of massive achievement in the development of his Ndhiwa constituency, which give him the advantage over Kajwang’ in the event and the possibility of him switching from parliamentary to the senate contest. And his cannot precisely be ruled out. May be Kajwang is banking his hope on the Prime Minister Raila Odinga to campaign for him, but there is no assurance because Raila himself will be embroiled and locked in one of the toughest election battle for the presidency. It would be one of Raila’s stiffest election battle for his life in his presidential bid an will not have the time of stooping low to campaign for Kajwang’ inside rural locations.

In Suba region, Kajwang” is also being blamed for not articulating for the support of the former Nyanza PDE Mrs Roselyn Onyuka,a highly respected woman leader and who has already expressed her interest in capturing the Homa-Bay women representative to the Senate. It is being rumored that he is backing a young and recently married woman for the job to the chagrins o of his Mbita constituents.

Mrs Onyuka’s marital home is in Kasipul-Kabondoi, though her birthplace is in Mbita where she hail fro the populous Kasigunga sub-clan and the daughter of the late Ex-Senior Chief Damianus Ajwang’ of Gembe Location. Kajwang’ therefore can ignore her to his own peril, because the former educationist has influence in two constituencies namely Kasipul-Kabondo an Mbita apart from other regions having worked in the public service as a senior teacher within the same region for many years.

Ends