News Analysis By Leo Odera Omolo In Migori Town.

ALTHOUGH the exact date for the next general election remain controversial and subject to heated debates, indications are that in some regions, particularly in the greater Southern Nyanza, the names of individual tipped to emerged winners are clearly coming on the surface.

This is what is likely to happen with the battle for the powerful position of Migori County governor.

Immediately soon after the promulgation on the new constitution by President Mwai Kibaki, many would be aspirants to the various positions within County governance, parliament, senate and County representatives rushed to the media houses and made premature announcement about their intention to run for various.

The position of the powerful Migori County governor had attracted a large number of potential aspirants. However, most of those who had made the early announcement have since found the going too tough to handle and have chickened out of the race leaving only a few of them in the battle field.

Among the individual political personalities who had shown interest in the governor’s position include the Kisumu Town Clerk Christopher O Rusana, the administrator of the Migori based private Ojele Hospital, Joseph Owiso Ngao, an accountant by profession working in Nairobi Sam Onyango, the former Nairobi PDE Chacha Ogwe, a heart specialist working with the US Airforce Profesor Luo Rachilo K’Obuoyo, along time political associate and friend of the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Prof Edward Akong’o Oyugi and others.

Information making the round on the ground, however, indicated that only a few hard-core individuals are still actively I the race, running errands on votes canvassing missions in the minerals and agriculturally rich vast County.

So far the name of the radical university professor, Edward Akong’o Oyugi is slowly emerging s he man whose fortune is likely to appear on the card.

Along time political associates and confidant of the doyen of oppositionist politics in Kenya the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga,Prof Oyugi is an household name as far as the radical politics in Kenya is concerned. It had earned him tribulations including close to two years in political detention camps, dismissal from s teaching job at the University of Nairobi and self-imposed exile in one of the Scandinavian countries for a couple of years.

Prof Oyugi was detained together with the former Kitutu Masaba MP George Moseti Anyona as the duo were just about to announce the formation of new political party as opposed to the one party monolithic system under the draconian and despotic rule of the retire President Daniel Arap Moi. He came out of detention only to find that he had been fired from his teaching job at the University of Nairobi and could not be reinstated to work in any of the public universities in Kenya. The frustration that followed forced him to look for green pasture elsewhere.

A survey carried out inside all the eight parliamentary constituencies that make what is known as Migori County revealed that Prof.Oyugi’s popularity is on the upsurge trend. He has taken the early lead against the pack of other aspirants.

Mineral and agricultural rich County covered eight constituencies which included Rongo, Awendo, Uriri, Migori East, Migori Town, Kuria east and Kuria West and Nyatike.

Awendo, Kuria West and Migori town are the new parliamentary constituencies which were recently created by the Independent electoral and Boundary Commission {IEBC] a part of the additional 80 parliamentary seats create country-wide, which now brings the total constituencies to 290 fro the previous 210.

Residents interviewed across the region said the position of County governor does not need a holder to be seasoned politician, but require someone with sound education who can manage the vast resources. “Politicians can go shouting about and contest Senate, Parliament and County representative seats in various County Wards, but must keep off fro the governorship.”

It will require someone with administrative ability as the job entails the holder to act a the Chief Executive Officer {CEO} whose responsibilities will not only to manage the resources, but ensure that the County boundaries with its neighboring region are well secured

.Prof. Oyugi is also advantaged that he is a personal friend of the Luo political kingpin Raila Amolo Odinga with whom they were jailed together by the Moi regime after the abortive military coup of the 1982.

The mineral rich Migori County is reputed for having the largest deposits of gold. Several foreign and local companies are currently involved in exploration and full scale mining work in several locations within the region.

During the old golden days of the”Gold Rush” of the 1930ssveral multinational mining companies were involved in full-scale commercial mining of the precious stone. There full fledged gold mines established at Kitere in Rongo district, Masara, Macalder Gold Mines in Nyatike district Kihancha and Nyamongo Gold Mines in Kuria district and another at the nearby Lolgorien in the neighboring Trans-Mara district.

Macalder mines limited which was later run and managed by the Commonwealth Development Corporation {CDC} in partnership with some South African mining companies also produced copper and nickels in large scale. Migori River is known for having a lot of deposits of alluvial gold now mined in small scale by individual miners.

However, most of the mining companies abruptly closed own in 1962 and foreign miners packed and went away I a rush as the country was approaching its political independence apparently on suspicion and fears that Kenya could go the Congo way where in 1960s foreign mining companies and their staff were forced to flee in disarray after political upheavals and chaos had erupted. The foreigners closed the mines leaving behind large deposits of gold and copper untapped.

In addition to minerals Migori Town which is tipped to be the new County administrative headquarters cold be the biggest hub of economic and commercial activities in the area due to its proximity to the Kenya-Tanzania borders.

The region has close to 200 kilometer running border with Tanzania o the land and also a small portion inside Lake Victoria, but more areas with Uganda inside Lake Vitoria.

The region could accessible through the major Kisii-Migori Highway, which also link Kenya and Tanzania at the Sirare border post town in Kuria East district.

It is a rather complicated and difficult region to manage where two major tribe occupying the borer locations re cut by halves of their tribesmen living across the borderlines, but speaks the same language, making it an area which is difficult in policing security-wise due to easy infiltrations by criminals elements and cattle rustlers across the border from each country for the purpose of perpetuating their heinous criminal activities on both sides of the border. This is why the cattle rustling menace has continued in the area unabated.

Geographically, Migori County is bordering Narok County in the East, Kisii County in the North East, Homa-Bay County in the North and in the northwest.

Bothe Luos and the Kurias tribesmen are cut with halves of the kins and kith living on both side of the border, and this is also at times making the area politics sometime unmanageable, because youth from either sides crosses the common borders especially from nearby Tanzanian villages are crossing crosses the border at will and have even managed acquired Kenyan national identity card with the help of laxity on the parts of administrative chiefs and their assistants.

Sugar cane growing is the mainstay of the region’s economy. Cane which is grown in abundance in Rongo, Awendo, Uriri, Migori East and Kuria districts is crushed at the nearby Awendo-based government owned multi billion shilling sugar factory, the SonySugar Company Limited, which is also arguably the major outlet for employment in the region. The Company has contacted close to 27,000 out growers small scale farmers and similar umber of non-contracted farmers.

Another white sugar mills was recently established at Wachara near Oria Market on the edge of Uriri-Ndhiwa districts border, but on the Ndhiwa side now making region highly motivated economically.

Tobacco is another most lucrative cash crop which is grown I abundance, especially in Uriri, Kuria, Awendo and Rongo districts. However, the behaviors of the various tobacco companies involved I the operations and buying of mature crop has left a million questions to be answered. Farmer have complained bitterly of the corrupt practices by the managers posted to work in the area, who are said to be fleecing the unsuspecting farmers in an unrealistic adding of their crops, the use of brokers by the field managers and undue delay in releasing payments for the crops delivered an sold to the companies, which sometimes takes up to one year before the farmers get heir money.

Environmentalists have also launched vigorous campaign arguing that the excessive use of chemicals such a insecticides are contributing largely to the environmental degradation and soil .erosion.

Uriri D.C George Lagat has recently come out in full blast advising farmers within his area of jurisdiction to abandon tobacco growing for other cash crop an even for food gains for domestic consumption.

This was after some farmers in the district have complained that they were still waiting or the payments for the crops delivered to one firm called mastermind tobacco since February 2011 have yet to be paid for in early 2012.

Migori district is also actively handling huge bulk of fish from Lake Victoria. Here is one fish processing plant in Migori Town, but the region is also acting a the outlet of fish heading for other processing plants in Kisumu, Nairobi and elsewhere.

The region has the shorted shorelines in Lake Victoria covering Karungu,Kadem and Muhuru Bay fish landing beaches. But the disputed Migingo fishing Island is also located in the region and the locals consider it as part an parcel of the region. The rocky one and half acre Island is rich in fish, particularly the highly prize Nile Perch. Some of the catches from he neighboring Uganda and Tanzania are also finding their way to the market an exports outlet via Migori County.

Experts and economists believe that Migori could be one of the riches Counties if the right people are placed on its governance.

And this how the like of Prof Oyugi with such vast experience in public management comes in hand to b considered for the governor s job. Prof.Oyugi hail from Migori West where another aspirant an administrative genius Christopher Rusana who is also eying he same position come from.

The ODM is the party of choice in his region, though there is a small fraction of PNU supporters in both two Kurias constituencies, pundits say they will e wept away and wished out in the next general election.

Prof. Oyugi Akong’o is therefore the man to watch. He said to have already abandoned radical politics previously associated with him and had contributed largely for devolution of power in the new constitution dispensation.

Ends