Kutima, s***lth planner eyeing Oparanya post
Mukalo Kwayera and Douglas Dindi
In a pack of prominent names tipped as front-runners in the Kakamega governor’s race next, deputy governor Philip Kutima is the least raucous.
Taking into account the circumstances in his state you realise reservation is perhaps not out of choice but by design.
Prof Kutima must maintain a delicate balance between concerting with his boss and stoking hope to supporters who want him to contest.
Last July, a partial county Cabinet reshuffle by Governor Wycliffe Oparanya handed him the oversight role of county ministries, a political plus in all fairness.
At his Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party level, only the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (Ketraco) chief executive officer Fernandes Barasa poses a threat currently.
Barasa is a testimony of what began as a rumour. The Ketraco boss joined ODM as a life member at the Capitol Hill office late last year and was received by the party leader Raila Odinga.
Although Oparanya was absent at the event, the presence of the county First Lady Pricillah was ominous.
The Orange party
More confounding but unconfirmed are reports from ODM suggesting that the ??? is on the tracks of politician Cyrus Jirongo, who hails from Lugari constituency to have him contest the Kakamega senate seat, in a bid to check a resurgent ANC.
The Deputy Governor and Jirongo are from the northern part of Kakamega while Barasa is from Matungu constituency in the southern region of the county end where a key by-election of national proportions was on March 4, at which ODM and ANC sought to out-muscle each other, with Peter Oscar Nabulindo of ANC running with the victory.
To succeed Oparanya
Asked whether the entry of new players in ODM upsets his plans, Kutima responded: “As of now, I’ve not seen anything sinister.
I’m the ODM county chairman and I can tell you I’ve no reason to think I’m being undermined. Anyone is free to challenge me for the ODM ticket. I’m ready for the primaries.”
Oparanya, a close confidante of both Kutima and Raila is serving his second and last term. He has remained non-committal on backing his deputy when elections finally come.
However, when asked if he shall vouch for Kutima to succeed him, Oparanya told People Daily: “I have no problem with him.
He is a good man. He has been loyal all along He has not failed to deliver on his duties I am satisfied with his performance. I have nothing to complain about him.”
The number of aspirants angling to succeed Oparanya has been growing. Apart from Barasa, Kutima has to contend with a ray of populist opponents in the persons of outspoken Kakamega senator Cleophas Malalah who turned out as a key cog in the Matungu by-election won by his Mudavadi-led ANC party.
Malalah leads a galaxy of aspirants seeking to fly the ANC party ticket in 2022 Kakamega gubernatorial race that includes Lugari MP Ayub Savula and technocrat Samuel Omukoko.
Also in the race are Kakamega county assembly clerk a Mr Atemba and former area senator Boni Khalwale.
To many observers, Kutima carries the label of continuity and, albeit, the baggage of incumbency consistent with anyone in his position rather than the change tag as he has stuck with the governor through the county’s successes and challenges.
He is currently the only politician-cum-manager from the vote-rich independent Kenya’s Lurambi constituency, which was delineated to create today’s Likuyani, Lugari, Malava, Lurambi and Navakholo constituencies.
“I feel I’m the right person to carry on with the legacy we’ve set. To continue with the good work and be the one to complete the ongoing projects,” he told People Daily, seemingly disconcerting intrigues in his party, prospects, challenges and fears one-and-a-half years before the ballot.
Meticulous planner
He maintains that Kakamega County needs stability going forward, a goal that can only be guaranteed by a studious and meticulous planner.
“I know where we come from as a county and where to go from here because I have been part and parcel of this initiative.”
This interview came after months of political anxiety following the July 2020 reshuffle carried by Oparanya, which sought to enhance efficiency and governance but unexpectedly triggered profound misinterpretations among sections of supporters.
Oparanya’s explanation that the changes had in fact elevated his deputy by handing him overall supervisory duties on all ministries fell flat as MCAs from seven constituencies in the upper part of the county protested.
East Kabras MCA Lazaro Luchebeleli says the entry of the two new names in the ODM party was a bad coincidence and a direct assault on the voting power of constituencies in northern Kakamega intended to deprive Kutima of a head-start in the elections.
Then, in a rare admission of his intention to outlive the ODM support base, Kutima said he is prepared to build bridges beyond political party boundaries.
“I’m the deputy governor. ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi and Ford-Kenya’s Moses Wetang’ula are my good friends. Going forward I want this friendship extended to ANC and Ford-K supporters.
I want to be judged for who I am. I’m going out for the support of all those who believe in what we’ve accomplished. Those who believe in my personality and ability.”
