Focus on Kwale: Achani faces five others in fight to succeed her boss

The recently-found political alliance between Deputy President William Ruto and Governor Salim Mvurya has changed the shape of politics in Kwale County.

Before he jumped ship to Dr Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA), Mr Mvurya was among the Jubilee point men in the Coast region. And after serving his two terms, he is exiting the local political scene, even as he backs his deputy Fatuma Achani to succeed him.

Ms Achani, running on a UDA ticket, will face off with Prof Hamadi Boga of ODM, a party seeking to reclaim its support and galvanise its presence in the county.

Also in the race are former Kenya Ports Authority official Chai Lung’anzi (Pamoja Africa Alliance), former Cabinet Minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere (Wiper), Speaker Sammy Ruwa (Independent) and businessman Gereza Dena (Kanu).

In the governor race, wit and party affiliation will play a crucial role in determining who wins, with campaigns already underway.

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The campaigns have been dominated by issues of poor development and road infrastructure, land injustices, poverty, youth unemployment, agriculture and food insecurity.

Tourism, mining royalties, blue economy, access to clean water and education have also been cited as issues of major concern. The revival of the Ramisi factory by the Kwale International Sugar Company is also on the cards.

Apart from the pristine beaches, which earn the county revenue through tourism, Kwale also boasts of ports, key among them Vanga, Shimoni and Diani.

According to the 2019 Census, Kwale has a population of 858,748 people. The county has the third-highest population in the Coast region and the third highest number of registered voters among the six coastal counties at 320, 782.

Mr Mvurya has left a fairly good record in the education sector, with the Elimu ni Sasa Programme providing scholarships to all Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exam candidates scoring 350 marks and above. He has also ensured that Early Childhood Development and Education centres are set up in almost every ward. This has improved access to education, a challenge that has been blamed for the high poverty rates in the county.

It is this success that Ms Achani is hoping to ride on, saying she intends to do more.

Ethnicity is a major factor in determining who will clinch the top seat. Since Kwale has two dominant ethnic communities – Duruma and Digo – most of the aspirants are keen to ensure their tickets are balanced.

Mr Mvurya, a Duruma from Kinango, picked Ms Achani, a Digo from Msambweni, as his deputy. Since the Durumas occupied the governor position, the Digos now say it’s their turn. Residents believe that this will bring equal development. They also expect more people from the Digo community will get county jobs.

Originally, the race was a two-horse one between Prof Boga and Ms Achani. But the entry of Mr Lung’anzi could complicate matters since he is likely to sees him garner more Duruma votes.

According to the IEBC 2017 voter register, Kinango has the highest number of voters at 85,106, followed by Matuga (70,366), Msambweni (68,621) and Lungalunga (56,948).

Mr Lung’anzi hails from Kinango and has been focusing his campaigns in the area and in Lungalunga, where there are more Durumas.

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Ms Achani is banking on Duruma votes through the influence of Mr Mvurya.

Food security and agriculture are taking centre stage in the campaigns. For instance, Mr Mwakwere, Prof Boga and Sammy Ruwa have all promised to address the agriculture issue by providing new ways of practising agriculture.

Mr Mwakwere has suggested that the county should come up with fast maturing crops that ensure good returns despite poor rains.

“Kwale’s soil is no longer favourable for maize, but cassava and other vegetables can do well with little or no rain. Giving farmers fertiliser and seeds every season just wastes their time because we have already seen how the drought has affected them,” said Mr Mwakwere.

Prof Boga,a former Agriculture Principal Secretary, is promising to provide skills in climate-smart agriculture to increase production in drought-stricken areas such as Kinango.

He explained that with small water pans, residents can harvest water for domestic use and farming.

“I will also provide them with modern seeds that go hand in hand with the weather in their areas so that they do not suffer losses,” he explained.

He added that Kwale has high agriculture potential, which, if properly tapped, can make the county the breadbasket of the Coast region.

All the aspirants, except his deputy, have criticised Mr Mvurya for not doing enough to address the food insecurity challenge in the county, with many residents in Kinango still depending on relief food.

Ms Achani, wither her campaign slogan being ‘Kazi Iendelee’, has promised to continue with Mr Mvurya’s legacy and any development projects that they began.

Mr Ruwa has promised to improve the economy of the county by overseeing the establishment of small industries in each sub-county depending on their strength, to improve livelihoods.

“We cannot set up one big company and expect that all the residents will get employed there. But if each region identifies what it is good at, whether it is fruit farming, cashew nuts or just small businesses, we could set up processing plants and ensure that at least every person has food on their table,” he said.

Mr Mvurya has told residents to ensure that whoever will take over should be able to continue with his development projects.

TOMORROW: In Narok County, Patrick Ntutu and Moitalel Ole Kenta face off in race to succeed Governo Samuel Tunai.