Kwale Senator aspirant Issa Juma is keen to maintain his family’s grip in the county politics. [Photo/ standardmedia.co.ke]
The Kwale County senatorial race is expected to be one of the most hotly contested in the region as 11 aspirants seek to inherit the seat that was previously held by the late Boy Juma Boy who died in February this year.
When Senator Juma Boy died, his family quickly settled on one of their own to inherit his seat.
The move marked the entry of Issa Juma into Kwale politics where he announced his arrival with a resounding win during the ODM nominations to bag the party ticket.
However, for him, winning the seat will not be a walk in the park as he will face off with formidable opponents who have honed their political skills over the years.
The other candidates who have declared interest in the seat include; Abdallah Juma Ngozi (DP), Mshenga Ruga Vuyaa (Jubilee), Hassan Rashid Mzinga (Kanu), Stanley Matano (Wiper) and Ibrahim Bulushi (Ford-Kenya).
Others are Mwero Kombo (Kadu-Asili), Omar Mwawaka (Chama Cha Mwangaza Daima), Anthony Mulinge (Empowerment and Liberation Party), Japheth Muthoka (Maendeleo Chap Chap) and Nuru Lula Hassan (Alternative Leadership Party of Kenya) as the only woman in the male dominated race.
Juma Boy’s family has dominated Kwale politics for the past four decades with his father representing Kwale Central constituency, later named Matuga from 1974 to 1983.
Juma Boy would later inherit the seat in the 1983 elections until 1997 before disappearing into political oblivion. However, he made a political comeback in 2013 becoming the first county Senator.
The 2017 elections will test whether the family remains Kwale's most formidable political force.