Kiangoi faces the Ford People factor in Gusii Land

Incumbent North Mugirango/Borabu Member of Parliament Joseph Kiangoi Ombasa will be facing an acid test when he defends his seat during the forthcoming General Election.

Kiangoi, like all the other Members of Parliament from Gusiiland, will have to contend with the Simeon Nyachae factor, which has permeated all corners of the three districts occupied by the Abagusii in the run-up to the polls.Nyachae’s stab at the Presidency on a Ford People ticket has relegated to second place the clan factor which is usually so decisive in determining who represents North Mugirango/Borabu in Parliament.Kiangoi, an Assistant Minister for Local Government, has remained steadfast in Kanu despite the Nyachae/Ford People fever that is causing reverberations in Kisii Nyanza.

Kiangoi’s chances of retaining the North Mugirango/Borabu seat are compounded by the fielding of a former Youth for Kanu (YK92) official Patrick Osero, who hails from the Borabu side that provided the bulk of his supporters in the 1997 elections. Past voting patterns have shown that the perennial contestants, former MPs Marita Atebe and Nyarangi Moturi, have scored almost equally on votes from the North Mugirango side of the constituency. Whoever the Borabu side of constituency supports, always emerges the poll victor.If unconfirmed reports that Atebe will not be in the race this time round are true, then Kiangoi’s chances of re-election would be thrown into further jeopardy.

If Marita, who Kiangoi defeated in the 1997 General Elections, opts out and decides to support his relative, Nyarangi Moturi, who is a former Assistant Minister for Energy, then the sitting MP could be facing his political waterloo.Marita is particularly influential among the old folk. His stature is further boosted by the fact that he comes from the second largest clan in the constituency, the Bokurate.The list of candidates so far includes Kiangoi, Marita, Osero, Moturi, Alexander Mogambi, Ms Nyarinda Moikabu, Alfred Momanyi, Geoffrey Masanya, Frank Ndubi, Peter Mayaka, Shem Keengwe, Francis Ongwae Migiro and Suleiman Magare.

Kiangoi’s chances will rest purely on the goodwill he has earned since he entered Parliament and if Ford People makes the mistake of fielding a weak candidate from the Borabu side of the constituency.Disgruntled Borabu voters, who are estimated at over 12,000, may deny any of the North Mugirango candidates their vote and give it to a home-grown candidate, thereby leaving the heavyweights to square it out.

Borabu residents are of the perception that they have always been ignored immediately the elections are over. Due to its large size and its diverse and amorphous political nature, Borabu Division has always wanted to secede from the larger North Mugirango/Borabu. Political pundits in Gusiiland say Kiangoi should avoid direct confrontation with Nyachae if he hopes to endear himself to the electorate.Despite facing a stiff challenge in the coming elections, Kiangoi has during his tenure tried to improve on the provision of facilities to schools, health centres and churches.He has presided over some fund raising meetings for schools and various development projects involving all the six major clans in the constituency.

With all those who have expressed interest in the seat struggling to get the Ford People nomination, Kiangoi is the likely benefactor should there be a fall-out from the party after the election of its torch-bearer. One more factor could work to Kiangoi’s advantage: Should the larger clans fight, they may opt to settle on him as a compromise candidate.Bogisanga is the largest clan but it has never voted as a bloc. From this clan, Ndubi and Masanya have announced their candidature on a Ford People ticket.

The third largest clan is the Bakaira who will be rooting for Nairobi-based lawyer Shem Keengwe, who seems to be drawing the attention of the younger generation of voters.Nyarangi Moturi, who is tipped to be among the main contenders, hails from the Bagesinsi clan where he is known to be a participant in development activities in the constituency.He is also said to have been instrumental in the supply of electricity to Ekerenyo Division and Obwari market in the constituency.

The other clans in North Mugirango/Borabu are the Boombo and the Mwagamo. Kiangoi comes from the Mwagamo clan.The terrible state of the 66-kilometre Kisii-Chemosit road, which cuts across the constituency, remains a veritable powder keg. The people in the constituency, who are largely tea farmers, find it difficult to transport their tea leaves from their farms to the eight tea factories during the rainy season.The other key issues the constituents expect to be addressed by candidates include the escalating HIV/Aids cases and insecurity.