Writes Leo Odera Omolo In Sondu Market
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The newly created Sigowet/Soin parliamentary constituency could prove to be the biggest hub of more economic activities in the South Rift Region.
The area is unique in that it produces a lot both green leave tea bushes and sugar cane at the same time making it an area where the money could be in the highest circulations.
Sigowet/Soin is also an area where the border is proximity for inter-communal barter trade to flourish between the three major communities in Western Kenya. These are members of the Kipsigis, Luos and Kisiis.
The fast growing Sondu Market could be developed into an area of a booming trade. Sondu has half it is land with parts of it and right in Sigowet/Soin and the other half in Nyakach district. It is situated in a beautiful location between several hills overlooking Sondu/Miriu River.
The busy market is also serving the interest of the residents of North Mugirango Borabu who are living just across Sondu Mriu River separate only by the main Sonu-Oyugis road to the residents of Kabondo East in Rachuonyo South district.
Soundu Market is surrounded by five administrative districts, namely Sigowet/Soin, North Mugirango Borabu,Kasipul-Kabondo and Nyakach. Business people and trades from all the five districts have stake in the business and commercial activities of the market, thus the source of rapidly mushrooming new commercial buildings now springing up everywhere in trading center, though in the past its development was for many years hampered by intermittent tribal conflicts of interest and violence.
Insecurity around Sondu Trading Center could be partly attributed to excessive cattle rustling on both sides of the borer, especially between Sigowet/Soin and Nyakach. But with the newer generations of highly educated lots, this primitive culture is slowly being discarded by and replaced by commercial minded people, who prefer putting up beautiful commercial buildings and hotels in the center for the purpose of improving economic activities of the Center.
Unlike the neighboring Belgut and Ainamoi constituencies which boast of several green leave tea manufacturing factories under the management of the Kenya Tea Development Agency, and the multinational foreign tea plantations and factories, this new constituency has only one small size Soin Sugar Factory. A lot of cane produce in the area are finding their ways t the nearby Muhoroni and Chemelil Sugar Mills.
The green leave teas re sent to Mamul, Tegat,Kabianga and other factories in Belgut and Cheptororit in Ainamoi and also crushed by factories owned by multinational tea factories in both Kericho,Konoin and Bureti districts..
The old larger Belgut constituency has had close to seven or eight different MP ever since its inception in 1963. Its first legislator was the late Alfred Kericho who won the 1963 independence general election on a KADU ticket. He was dethroned by Walcey Rono in 1969, but Kerich bounced back in 1974.but was again sent parking by the late Ayub Chepkwony in 1979.
Chepkwony lost the seat in 1983 to Kiptarus Kerior in 1988, but the latter was beaten by Chepkwony again in 1992 only to for Kerior to reclaimed the seat in 1997 and in the 1990, the constituency was subdivided into two with the creation of the Ainamoi constituency.
Eng.Kipng’eno Arap Ng’eny the former Minister for Water Development became the first MP for Ainamoi in 1997, while the former Finance Assistant Minister Charles Kirui captured the old Belgut. However Kirui lost the Belgut seat to his brother in law Charles Keter in 1997.
In 2002 the former CID Director Noah Nondin Arap Too dethroned Ng’eny, while Keter made a history of becoming he first MP to have successfully defended his Belgut seat.All the previous occupants of the seat served only for one time and nobody had served for the consecutive terms, though some of the were sent to the cold and later recaptured the seat, but only after a five year break.
In the coming elections the man who is favored by most of the electorate and is tipped to wit the seat is Justice Kemei, the former Marketing and Communication Director with the Chemelil Sugar Company in Nyando district. He lost narrowly to Charles Keter in 2007 the much flawed ODM nomination system which was open to massive rigging, especially during the preliminaries.
Kemei is now in consultant business in Mombasa and Western Kenya,but frequenting the area almost every weekend while widely consulting with the electorate. He has one of the most attractive track record of development due to the fact that while he was serving at the nearby Chemelil he initiated a lot of development project and also helped many youth secured jobs.
Rumors making the round is that the former MP and Assistant Minister Kipatarus Kerior who is now a member of the Kenya Sugar Boa of service to the constituents. But when reached Kerior evaded questions about his entry into the race, only saying it will depend on the interests of the residents.
Also rearing to go is a senior lecturer at Eggerton University, NjoroDr. Malawi. The other aspirant is the Kericho business tycoon Kenneth Mutai who is a cousin of Keter.
Other potential contestants include the former Agricultural Services Manager at Chemelil Sugar Company Eng. Richard Koech who is currently in consultancy business in East and Southern African regions. The retired former top manager of Finlays Tea and Flower Company Mr Soi and an ex-high shoo teacher Mr.Kemei.
Other areas of economic activities within Sigowet/Soin constituency include the fast growing Soliat border market, which s close to Kericho Nyando border and also Muhoroni Town.
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PHOTO OF Mr Justice Kemei, one of the leading contenders for the newly create Sigowet/Soin seat.