After coming short three times before, Ndhiwa MP Martin Owino never lost hope in his quest to establish himself as a formidable political force in Nyanza. And in 2017, his perseverance finally paid off when he toppled the incumbent.
The Ndhiwa MP first burst into the political limelight in 2007 when he unsuccessfully challenged the then MP Orwa Ojode; the man who had represented the constituency for 13 years.
He would later try his luck again in 2012 during a by-election occasioned by Ojode's death. Second time unlucky, he lost to the youthful Agostino Neto.
Never giving up, he went to the drawing board strategizing how to upset the status quo in the 2013 poll. He suffered the same fate, losing to his bogeyman Neto.
Despite his past political struggles, the Public Health expert made a return in 2017 keen to correct his past failures. And with Neto falling out with his ODM party, Owino pounced on that opportunity to clinch the party ticket.
Riding on his development record when he served as Homa Bay County Chief Officer in charge of Health, Owino became the man to beat in the contest.
The highflying Neto lost at the hands of the perennial loser. Today, he is one of the most polished politicians in the regions. Is he the new political monster? Only time will tell.