Fertilizer crisis wrecking North Rift farmers has kicked off a succession politics in Uasin Gishu with a showdown looming between governor Jackson Mandago and his political nemesis Zedekiah Bunditich alias Buzeki.
Buzeki who unsuccessfully vied for the gubernatorial seat in 2017 sparked the political tussle when he brokered a signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between farmers and Export Trading Group (ETG).
In the MoU, farmers will buy fertilizer from the company at Sh3,000 and at the same time sell their maize at Sh1,900 per 90-kilogram bag.
Political pundits have translated Buzeki’s initiative as meant to springboard his political ambitions to succeed Mandago ahead of the next polls.
Joseph Kogei, a local political analyst opines that Buzeki is looking at any possible ways of endearing himself to the residents, riding on the crisis arising in the county.
“Buzeki being a businessman, he is trying to exploit any economic crisis to make him politically popular than when he was a new starter. 2022 election is too far and politics are dynamic and farmers interest may not be reliable as such,” said Kogei.
He further said that farmers' woes has been politicized for long in the region but has never materialized positively to many politicians or rather dealt with the ultimate resolutions and argues that Buzeki is walking on slippery ground when engaging in a business that might politically cost him.
Buzeki's move equally did not impress Mandago who recently said it was weird that the same company that was set to be paid past debts using Sh4 billion set aside for the importation of the subsidized fertilizer this year had signed an MoU to provide fertilizer to farmers.
“We also have Athi River Mining Company that has been blending fertilizers that have been used in this country. Why can’t the ministry contract these local companies to blend fertilizers?” Governor Mandago told journalists.
#hivisasaoriginal