[President Uhuru Kenyatta during his Tuesday’s tour in Nyamira. Details have emerged that a number of Jubilee leaders are angered with his tour on grounds that they did not address the plight of their people. Photo/nation.co.ke]
President Uhuru Kenyatta’s trip which was anticipated as a game changer in Gusii politics did not live up to Jubilee Party leaders’ expectations.
It was the head of state’s fourth visit to the region that overwhelmingly voted for ODM’s Raila Odinga at the last elections, with the opposition party clinching the senate, governorship, women representative seats.
During the poll, the party also swept most of the parliamentary and county Assembly seats in the two counties.
Jubilee has since launched a charm offensive in the county, with DP William Ruto making at least 15 visits to the region in a bid to sway voters from ODM.
Among the goodies promised to the region but yet to be delivered are the Suneka Airstrip which stalled after the first allotment of Sh 51 m, ten milk cooling plants in Kisii County and several roads, including the Kenyenya-Mogonga-Nyansembe Road and others.
Last year alone, the president is said to have cancelled three trips to the area due to the desire to avoid an alleged hostile reception by the many vocal ODM supporters who are said to be averse to Jubilee’s attempt to set up camp here.
What was meant to mark JP’s strongest indication yet of a spirited foray into the region instead ended up as an embarrassment of delayed and hurried appearances by the president at the five venues he was to meet the Nyamira and Kisii residents.
Magwagwa residents were kept waiting for more than five hours seated in the sun as the presidential convoy delayed its arrival in Nyamira county.
He arrived at the venue to carry out an inspection tour of the 45 km Ikonge-Chepilat-Chabera Road which is incomplete, with contractor Zhong Mei Road Company Ltd vowing to get the job done by December 2017.
“We are determined to bring development to the region despite the fact that you voted against us in the last elections,” he told the crowd at Magwagwa.
He said the government has set aside Sh 22 billion to construct 400 km of roads, saying they would be completed on time. At Nyambaria High School, he announced an infrastructure grant of Sh 10 m and pledged a new school bus.
Braving the lukewarm reception by the crowds along the Nyamira route, he launched a fierce assault on the new-found opposition unity being espoused by the National Super Alliance, Nasa, labelling its principals a group of experienced leaders who had failed to develop the country during their stay in public office.
He also experienced the murmurs of discontent at Viongozi, Kebirigo, where some residents openly chanted Nasa slogans, forcing him to restrict his speech to five minutes.
He later invited the leaders to a State House luncheon to iron out their concerns.
"Let us meet in Nairobi at a later date where we can comprehensively discuss your issues," said the president.
President Kenyatta also struck up a conciliatory tone in his brief speeches throughout the tour, perhaps conscious of the wounds of unfruitful past engagements between the people and the national government.
“Let us not always dwell on past troubles that people have gone through, or spend time competing in mudslinging, hatred and incitement. It is time to move on to issue-based politics and get busy with developing this country for the benefit of our people,” said the president.
His remarks that Borabu MP Ben Momanyi who was at the Magwagwa function was in danger of getting lost in the opposition did not go down well with a section of the residents.
“We elected Mr Momanyi and so any attempt to label him as lost because of his opposition leanings is an insult to us as well, said Mr Duncan Angwenyi, a Borabu resident who attended the function.
He was later to head to Igonga, Bonchari, to launch the Nyamira-Igonga-Gesonso-Nyabioto Road, the last stop on yesterday’s schedule according to a previously released itinerary.
“I am sorry I am late due to unavoidable circumstances but now that we are finally here, it is my great pleasure to finally visit this area today,” he told Magwagwa residents.
Party rank and file were left disappointed at the protocol lapses that saw most local leaders locked out of addressing their residents and supporters during the tour.
At Nyambaria High School for instance, the former Kitutu Masaba MP and Jubilee governorship aspirant Walter Nyambati was not allowed to speak, angering a section of the crowd who chanted his name in a futile bid to push the president to grant him the opportunity.
Only former North Mugirango MP and senatorial aspirant Joseph Kiangoi and a Mr Nyachae, a local MCA aspirant, were allowed to briefly address the Magwagwa function.
Other leaders who were prevented from addressing their supporters due to the constraints of time were governosrship aspirants Dr Elimeo Nyakiba and Mr Charles Mochama. Not even County Assembly Speaker Mr Joash Nyamoko, who is meant to face off against ODM's Charles Geni in the North Mugirango parliamentary race was allowed to greet the residents.
Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang’i, who hails from Borabu in Nyamira County, Social Services PS Dr Susan Mochache, Central Bank chairman Mohammed Nyaoga and National Quantity Surveyor Moses Nyakiongora were among the top State officers from the Gusii region who were not allowed to speak.
“We were not very happy because our leaders were not given an opportunity to speak. Had the event been organized on time, our party leaders would have had the time to drum up support for their electoral bids,” said a party official who preferred remain anonymous.
County Governors James Ongwae (Kisii) his Nyamira counterpart John Nyagarama were conspicuously from the tour.
Their absence could have been a conscious effort to avoid experiencing the presidential wrath that was directed at their Mombasa and Kilifi compatriots Hassan Joho and Amason Kingi, over comments deemed critical of Jubilee’s claims of being behind several projects in their counties.
“We don’t know what the president wants to do here but he can come visit anytime since he has a right to go anywhere in the country. I have not been told anything, but I think he will probably be launching some projects,” Governor Ongwae told hivisa.com on Tuesday
The governor was however quick to say the region was not a swing zone, saying ODM still held the upper hand.
"President Kenyatta's coming does not mean the region will automatically switch its allegiance to ODM," said the governor.