Chairing one of the most crucial parliamentary committees in the functioning of the National Assembly, Ugunja MP James Opiyo Wandayi has a monumental task to prove that he is the right man for the job.
The Parliamentary Accounts Committee ( PAC) which he chairs has claimed the political lives of his predecessors including immediate former Budalang'i MP Ababu Namwamba who was kicked out of the position amid corruption allegations.
To further complicate his position is that the bar was set very high by those who came before him including opposition icon the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and former Vice President Wamalwa Kijana. The duos no nonsense approach to scrutinizing the government's books of accounts ensured that the state was kept in check in public expenditures.
So does Wandayi have what it takes to fit into the shoes of Wamalwa and Jaramogi? Definitely yes. For a man who has spent the better part of his life fighting good governance, he has what it takes to write his own history.
The second-term MP is one of the lawmakers who have clean records when it comes to matters corruption. And with this unblemished name, Wandayi may be the next " Black Messiah". Or will he lose track as time goes by? Well, time will tell.