Former Taita Taveta Senator Dan Mwazo and NASA leader Raila Odinga at a past event. [Photo/ nation.co.ke]
When former Taita Taveta Senator Dan Mwazo dumped Raila Odinga's ODM party for Jubilee in March 2017 ahead of the August 8 poll, little did he know he was taking a risk that would cost him his gubernatorial bid.Just like the rest of the ODM rebels in the region who had staged a mutiny against the former Premier's party, Mwazo decamped to Jubilee to 'bring development' to residents.Having avoided a fierce battle for the ODM ticket to vie for the county’s governor seat, the former Voi MP was given a direct ticket by his new party to springboard his ambitions to oust the then Governor John Mruttu.Mwazo had even declared himself the 'next Governor' of Taita Taveta. But it was not to be as he was shocked at the ballot by a political novice, Granton Samboja of Wiper, who clinched the seat.Mwazo who was first elected to Parliament in 2007 on an ODM ticket became a key Raila ally in the region that he (Raila) had conquered politically. When he was appointed to Cabinet in 2012 as Tourism Minister to replace Najib Balala, Mwazo's political journey had fully taken off.But the political gamble he took in 2017 may haunt him in years to come. As he ponders his next political move, Mwazo's political lifeline is pegged on the outcome of the October 26 repeat Presidential poll where his party leader, Uhuru Kenyatta, will face off with his political mentor-turned-foe Raila Odinga, where a loss for Uhuru will have ripple effects on his own political life.