2002 Elections
Nyachae the Crucial Factor On Home Turf
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- Published on Wednesday, 18 July 2007 04:02
During the 1992 elections, the community overwhelmingly voted for the then Jaramogi Oginga Odinga's Ford-Kenya, with two MPs - Mr Henry Obwocha (West Mugirango) and Mr Ferdinand Obure (Bomachoge) - winning parliamentary seats.
Kanu, which Mr Nyachae campaigned for, scooped seven seats, with Mr George Anyona, who was vying for the presidency on a KSC ticket, grabbing the Kitutu Masaba seat.
In the 1997, Mr Nyachae led a strong campaign for President Moi, hoping and in the belief that the president would appoint him the VP in the subsequent government. But he still failed to deliver the 10 seats to Kanu: He could win only seven, with Ford-Kenya grabbing those of West Mugirango and South Mugirango and Anyona retaining his on a KSC ticket.
The DP presidential candidate at the time, Mr Mwai Kibaki, who is now in Narc, convincingly beat President Moi in the area's presidential vote. The scenario is, however, likely to change now that Mr Nyachae is in the race.
Mr Nyachae' recent well attended campaign rallies in the three Gusii districts of Nyamira, Kisii and Gucha sent the strong signal that he was the community's only hope to have one of their own at State House. This would definitely enhance the chances of a bloc vote in his favour.
The community's 550,000 registered voters were urged to vote the three-piece way - for the president, the MP and the civic leader, each on their own merits.
However, the Ford-P nominations seem to have caused major divisions in Mr Nyachae's camp, loosening his grip on the community vote. Many of the losers defected to other parties, which quickly cleared them.
The disenchanted losers are now campaigning against Mr Nyachae's men, threatening to eat into the former Nyaribari-Chache MP's collective community vote. It will now take his personal tour of all the 10 Kisii constituencies and beg for votes if he hopes to win the seats.
In Kanu, wrangles amongst two political camps, led by cabinet ministers Sam Ongeri and Chris Obure, is not auguring well for the ruling party candidates' joint battle against the Ford-P team.
Prof Ongeri's backers in Kisii feel their faction leader, who was replaced as the Nyanza Kanu national executive committee representative by Mr Joseph Kiangoi during the NDP-Kanu merger, has been isolated by the Obure team.
The two camps have been holding separate campaign rallies for the Kanu presidential candidate, Mr Uhuru Kenyatta.
Both Mr Kenyatta and Mr Mwai Kibaki of Narc are yet to take their campaigns to Mr Nyachae's backyard Kisii since the campaigns started, leaving their candidates vulnerable to the former finance minister's near-fanatical supporters.
