George Aladwa is planning to vie for Vihiga Governor come 2027, sources say.
The two time MP and former Nairobi Mayor has teamed up with current Vihiga County senator Godfrey Osotsi to plan the onslaught.
Aladwa while addressing mourners in Hamisi subcounty in Vihiga county during the burial of the former Shamakhokho MCA Douglas Beru’s father at Kisasi village said he has already started laying ground for the gubernatorial contest in 2027.
Aladwa said going by his vast political experience he is hopeful of winning the governor seat held by Wilber Ottichilo who is serving for his second and last term.
“I’m coming here in Vihiga to contest for the gubernatorial seat come 2027. I have experience in politics and I’m hopeful of winning the seat. I’m not a person to be defeated easily the way I see people being defeated here in Vihiga,” said Aladwa.
Aladwa is likely to vie Vihiga gubernatorial seat on ODM ticket. Aladwa will square it out with former Sabatia MP Alfred Agoi, former Vihiga senator George Khaniri, former Vihiga county secretary and Federal party of Kenya party leader Francis Ominde who tried their best in the last general election but lost to Ottichilo.
Word on ground is that, Emuhaya MP Omboko Milemba is also going for governorship. Agoi who contested for Vihiga gubernatorial seat on ANC ticket recently during the interdenominational prayer day held at Kidundu stadium and attended by prime cabinet secretary Musalia Mudavadi said he will be back and votes will decide.
Agoi and Milemba are in ANC and political analysts aver, Mudavadi has been favouring his Maragoli community when giving party tickets for governorship and woman rep.
In 2013, ANC favoured Yusuf Chanzu a Maragoli for governorship but lost to Otichillo a Bunyore. Come last year, Agoi was also favoured.
Agoi said he believes that the majority of the voters from Vihiga county will give him a chance to be their governor.
“I will be back in 2027 for the Vihiga gubernatorial seat. I strongly believe my people of Vihiga will give me a chance to be their governor,” said Agoi.
Agoi and Aladwa come from Maragoli community. Khaniri unsuccessfully contested for governor seat in Cyrus Jirongo’s United Democratic Party party after he lost to Ottichilo. Khaniri has since taken a low profile since losing the Vihiga gubernatorial seat.
Aladwa’s declaration comes at a time Mudavadi is fighting to unify his strength in Vihiga county. Mudavadi is fighting to bring Vihiga county under his control as the area political kingpin.
Already Mudavadi has managed to bring almost all political leaders in Vihiga county under his fold with only Osotsi of ODM remaining elusive.
Mudavadi has won Ottichilo, Milemba Luanda MP Dick Maungu, woman representative Beatrice Adagala, Sabatia MP Clement Siloya (UDA) and Hamisi MP Charles Gimose on his side.
However, there is growing disquiet among politicians in Vihiga county who claim Mudavadi has sidelined those who surrounded him in the runup to the last general election and is instead favouring those who played a peripheral role and from outside the county.
The leaders are discontent claiming that Mudavadi has only been lobbying for people from outside his Vihiga county that is home for the Maragoli, Tiriki and Banyore.
Led by Agoi, the leaders allege Mudavadi is partisan and not as aggressive like speaker of the national assembly Moses Wetang’ula.
During last governor race, Agoi came fourth with 26,088 votes, Khaniri third after garnering 28,496 votes against Ottichillo’s 82, 313 votes.
Moses Akaranga of Progressive Party of Kenya was second with 42,432.
Most of these disgruntled politicians especially Agoi have not been seeing eye-to-eye with Mudavadi and are said to have been boycotting meetings he convenes after it became apparent that the prime cabinet secretary has been favouring outsiders like Beatrice Inyangala from Malava subcounty, Kakamega county to as principal secretary state department for Higher Education and Research. Mudavadi is a man on a mission to consolidate the Western region, his political backyard that has been suffering fragmentation every election cycle.
However, his Vihiga backyard does not seem to be contented with public appointment among other development projects.
Mudavadi commenced the process with a breakfast meeting with legislators from the area marking the process of galvanising the region.
He held the meeting with leaders across the political divide from the vote-rich region invited.
Some 35 MPs attended the meeting with key allies from Raila Odinga’s political bandwagon including Nairobi senator Edwin Sifuna and Osotsi giving it a wide berth.
President William Ruto met Luhya leaders during his visit in Kakamega that was attended by Cotu secretary general Francis Atwoli, Mudavadi, Wetang’ula, Kakamega governor Fernandes Barasa, Kakamega senator Bonny Khalwale and fromer senator Cleophas Malala among others.
The Luhya community has recently shown signs of unity, with Mudavadi holding a consultative breakfast meeting with MPs and senators from Western region.
On the other hand, Mudavadi is said to be bitter that ANC failed to win in his home Sabatia MP seat in the general election blaming it on Agoi.
United Democratic Alliance’s Sloya who only joined the campaign last year following the death of his elder brother Macleans Sloya won the seat.
Victory for the UDA candidate over ANC’s Emmanuel Ayodi dealt a blow to the Kenya Kwanza principal’s hope of building a political fortress in his backyard.
Mudavadi’s hope of a political ‘bedroom’ in Vihiga county has also been dented by his party’s poor show in the civic races.
The Orange Democratic Movement claimed seven MCA seats bringing their total to 10, while ANC won six.
Weekly Citizen