It is very clear that Governor Alfred Mutua will not vie for the Machakos gubernatorial seat in 2022.
This is because the constitution does not allow him to vie again for the seat after his two consecutive terms come to an end . His final term ends in 2022.
Governor Mutua who is also the party leader of Maendeleo Chap Chap, has already announced his next move. He will be going for the highest office, the presidency, come 2022.
With Mutua set to exit the governor's office in 2022, the top names of politicians likely to take over from him include:
1. Johnson Muthama
The former Machakos senator might seek to take over from Mutua after he decided not to vie for any political position in 2017 general election. Muthama had once been perceived to be supporting Mutua's re-election when he requested his supporters not to vote for Wavinya Ndeti, who was vying with the Wiper party ticket. He will probably want to take over from Mutua.
2. Wavinya Ndeti
She vied for the same position but lost to Governor Mutua, Ndeti petitioned the latter's August 8, 2017 win but still lost the case. Come 2022, she stands a better chance of winning the seat since her great competitor Mutua will not feature in the race.
3. Bernard Kiala
The former Machakos Deputy Governor might seek to replace Mutua. He unsuccessfully attempted to vie for the position in 2017 but stepped down after he lost the Wiper party nomination ticket. He later rallied for the same position as an independent candidate only to withdraw his candidature. The withdrawal could be perceived as postponing his ambitions until 2022.