Even after his big defeat of Jack Ranguma in the 2017 general polls, Kisumu Governor Anyang' Nyong'o's failures seem to outweigh his gains.
This has brought out an image of a not so good performer, who was probably overrated then, before securing a position to lead the county.
His leadership has been characterized by unending strikes in public hospitals. Currently, doctors and clinical officers are on strike.
This comes only weeks after nurses returned to work.
At the same time, hawkers and traders are lamenting after losing their shops that were demolished to recapture county's occupied land to reorganize the city ahead of the Africities forum.
And though this cannot be used to brand him unable to deliver, it clearly shows that he has failed in some of the most important sectors.
But it also shows that he might have come to power despite not being fully baked to hold such a sensitive seat.
Here are the reasons why he secured the seat anyway;
1. The Raila-ODM factor
Kisumu is among the places in Kenyan where a person would be elected even without campaigning provided that they are allied to ODM and its leader Raila Odinga.
Being one of the bedrocks of the former Prime Minister, coming into the race with the ODM ticket tucked in his pocket made Nyong'o governor automatically.
But now, poor residents, who are the majority, are feeling the heat as they can no longer acquire health services in the cheaper public health facilities, as there are no doctors.
After clinching the ticket, he was overrated as the best man, given that the race pitted him against among others, Ranguma, resulting in the majority of residents siding with him.
2. Rich leadership history
The health factor has for long been a major problem in the lakeside city, and which the county boss included in his manifesto for better results in the 2017 context.
And given that he served as the Cabinet Minister in the Grand Coalition Government (2008-2013), it is very possible that he was picked with the hope that he is fully skilled to combat the same.
However, the governor is now having it hard reviving operations in hospitals, with the medics demanding study leaves, promotions and health covers for themselves.
This is even as he defends himself of the blame, saying that the medics are being callous, it still remains his job to ensure that there are doctors in the hospital, whichever way that will be done.
“The medical officers are not being honest. They swore an oath and it is disturbing to note that some of them are willing to let innocent people die because they have not received letters of promotion,” Nyong'o said on Sunday as quoted by the Standard.
3. Assumed experience
Nyongo is among the politicians who have been in the Kisumu political scene for the longest time in the lakeside city.
It's worth noting that he has served as nominated MP, Seme MP, Kisumu Senator and now the governor, which convinced the electorate that he knows exactly what they need.
But it now seems that while he might actually know what has been ailing the county, he lacks the idea on how to treat the ailment.
He was also seen as a mature politician who can handle political pressure, but as it appears now, he has failed on that one, ending up in tussles with his rivals.
For instance, his ongoing supremacy battle with Senator Fred Outa, a major forces behind his 2017 win, and the unending word exchange are reducing the confidence the people had in him.
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