As the dust settles following a hotly contested by-election in Bonchari, Kisii county where ODM candidate Pavel Oimeke emerged the winner, Interior CS Fred Matiang’i who marshaled support for the Jubilee candidate Zebedeo Opore has turned out to be the biggest loser. And following the election results where the ODM candidate beat his Jubilee opponent by a margin of 770 votes, Kisii governor James Ongwae once again reaffirmed his position as the Kisii political kingpin leaving the CS’s future hanging in balance. This was the third by- election since the constituency was established in 1988. The first by-election was in 1990 after first area MP the late Protus Momanyi elected on a Democratic Party ticket defected to former president Daniel arap Moi’s Kanu. He recaptured the seat and was appointed minister for Tourism and Industry. The second by-election was in 2013 and was occasioned by a petition by Zebedeo Opore who challenged the late Oroo Oyioka’s election victory which was nullified by the Kisii High Court. Oyioka had served for six months only.
Fred Matiang’i
While Matiang’i was relying on Gusii MPs allied to Jubilee led by seasoned politicians among them Jimmy Angwenyi (Kitutu Chache North) and Richard Onyonka (Kitutu Chache South), Ongwae teamed up with Kisii senator Sam Ongeri, women representative Janet Ongera and Kisii ODM MCAs to deliver the seat. UDA, a party associated with William Ruto, also staged a spirited campaign with South Mugirango MP Silvanus Osoro, former MP Omingo Magara, Joash Nyamoko (North Mugirango), Kemosi Mogaka (West Mugirango) and Innocent Obiri (Bobasi) leading th campaigns. Oimeke polled 8,049 votes, Opore 7,279 votes and UDA’s Teresa Oyioka 6,964 votes while the other 10 candidates collectively garnered about 5,000 votes. Ten other candidates including Eric Oigo, Jonah Onkendi and former Kisii county women rep Mary Otara among others complained of heavy police presence who beat and teargased the area residents while arresting a number of them without preferred charges. The entire campaign period was characterised by claims of intimidating other candidates in favour of the Jubilee candidate by the national government operatives led by Matiang’i. The Bonchari by-election turned out to be a litmus test for the Handshake between Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga, where both parties ended up fielding candidates even with the believe that Gusii was purely an ODM zone.
James Ongwae
Bonchari constituency has four MCAs Protus Moindi (ODM), John Ombati (ODM), Ariemba Moisabi (Wiper) and Ishmael Mosota (independent) representing Bomariba, Bomorenda, Riana and Bogiakumu wards respectively. The Bonchari case was not like in the recent by-election in Kiamokama ward within the county where both Jubilee and ODM rallied behind the ODM candidate Malachi Matara who won the seat. It is said that in the case of Bonchari constituency, leaders from ODM and Jubilee had initially agreed to support Oimeke on the premise that Kisii, particularly Bonchari, is perceived to be an ODM zone. However, sources have since intimated to Weekly Citizen that a section of Kisii leaders led by Angwenyi, Onyonka and Chris Obure silently felt that the move would give Ongwae, Ongeri and Ongera, all elected on the ODM party, undue advantage and boost their political status in Gusiiland and on the national political landscape. With this as a bait, the team prevailed upon Matiang’i to either convince Ongwae and the ODM leadership to drop Oimeke’s candidature and pave way for Opore of Jubilee as the handshake candidate.
Pavel Oimeke
By this time, Ongwae, Ongeri and Ongera, were bosom friends with Matiang’i and the trio has been the force behind the proposed coronation of Matiang’i as Gusii spokesman. At one time during the campaigns, long after the candidates for Bonchari had been cleared by the IEBC, Matiang’i summoned ODM leaders Ongwae, Ongeri, Ongera, ODM national treasurer Timothy Bosire to Nairobi where he reportedly tricked them that Raila had agreed with his handshake partner Uhuru Kenyatta to withdraw Oimeke’s candidature. Matiang’i is alleged to have showed them fake intelligence and opinion reports from the ground to the effect that Oimeke was trailing with only four percent of support in Bonchari while Opore’s rating was 60pc. This forced the ODM group to reach out to Raila for confirmation where he advised them that it was not true and if it were the case, then it was Jubilee to withdraw as it had been agreed earlier on.
Sam Ongeri
Since then, their differences kicked off with Jubilee leaders getting the backing of Matiang’i to rally their support behind Opore while Oimeke’s ODM team was led by Ongwae. Matiang’i sent truckloads of police vehicles to Suneka to prepare grounds for the Jubilee candidate victory where thousands police officers were dispatched to man this smallest electoral constituency in Gusiiland. Political pundits aver that for Matiang’i to restore his apparently dimming political star, he needs to continue banking on the goodwill of Ongwae and Ongeri. It was after the handshake in 2018 after Ongwae’s team embraced Matiang’i and in the handshake spirit that his stature has been rising with the governor restraining ODM leaders like John Mbadi, Gladys Wanga among others from Luo Nyanza to go slow on the bully CS.
