Ex-governor, first woman aspirant seek to topple Twaha in Lamu

Three candidates have shown their interest in contesting the Lamu governorship in 2022, seeking to topple incumbent Fahim Yassin Twaha.

They include former governor Issa Abdallah Timamy of Amani National Congress (ANC), former deputy governor Eric Mugo and Safari Doctor founder and conservation strategist Umra Omar of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA).

In the 2017 General Election, Mr Twaha beat Mr Timamy with a small margin of 500 votes.

But Mr Timamy did not concede defeat and instead sued to overturn Mr Twaha’s win at the Malindi High Court. He lost the petition in March 2018.

Mr Timamy has now hit the ground running, undertaking various projects, including digging over 30 boreholes and offering relief aid to locals in Mpeketoni, Mkunumbi, Mokowe, Witu, Baharini, Pate, Faza, Maisha Masha, Jipendeni, Kiunga, Basuba and other areas as part of his grassroots campaigns.

Speaking to Nation.Africa, Mr Timamy confirmed that he will be in the race and expressed confidence he will win.

He said that in his time, hospitals were well equipped and he ensured that dispensaries were set up in almost every corner of the county.

“Hospitals and dispensaries were well equipped with drugs and personnel. Currently, they are empty buildings. People can’t get good treatment in those facilities as there are no drugs,” he said.
“God willing, I will be in the race in the forthcoming General Election. Lamu people still have confidence in me.”

With the Lamu port in place and an improved road network, he said, the county has a great potential to benefit immensely from such projects and locals will lead better lives.

“As one of the devolution pioneer governors, my resolve is to live and implement the spirit of devolution by bringing resources closer to the people and ensuring they benefit from those resources. I feel the current governor has failed on this,” he said.
Governor Twaha, on the other hand, has concentrated more on development, including launching water projects across the region.

He has also focused on improving health and education standards, including enrolling 20,000 families in the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) and providing education scholarships for secondary, college and university students.

After being elected in 2017, Mr Twaha waived loans taken by more than 6,000 fishermen to buy equipment under a programme sponsored by Mr Timamy’s administration.

This won him the hearts of the fishermen, who were pleased that did not have to pay back the money.

With the help of Mr Twaha’s administration, fishers have also bought advanced equipment, including outboard engines and nets.

Mr Twaha is determined to defend the seat. He said the people of Lamu are better placed to explain why they want him as governor for a second term.

“I intend to run again but it’s too early to have this conversation. It’s also better to ask members of the public at this stage on why I deserve to be elected again,” he said.

Mr Mugo confirmed he will contest the top county seat but he did not disclose his political party.

“I will be in the Lamu governor’s race in 2022. I’m prepared to face my opponents. I have leadership experience. I have nothing to worry about,” he said.

He has launched his campaigns, touring Baharini, Hongwe, Mkunumbi, Mpeketoni and surrounding areas. He also revealed plans to visit the far-flung islands of Faza, Kizingitini, Pate, Mkokoni, Kiunga and other places.

“When I was a deputy governor in Lamu, we initiated a Sh40 million fruit processing plant but the project has not been completed,” he said.

“My target, if elected governor, will be to establish fruit, fish and meat processing industries in Lamu so that our people can get ready markets for their produce and create jobs for the youth.”

For Ms Omar, she becomes the first female gubernatorial aspirant in Lamu since devolution started.

The 37-year-old mother of two says there is nothing stopping her from running for the county’s top seat.

Male chauvinism is rife in Lamu but she holds that she will not allow that aspect of the region’s culture to deny her a shot at leadership only because she is a woman.

Ms Omar has also been campaigning, mostly on social media.

She has attended social events, including weddings and women’s gatherings as she seeks to familiarise herself with wananchi.

She says that access to healthcare and education, land rights and conserving the environment are her top priorities.

“I intend to strengthen local economies by significantly tapping into the Lamu port, blue economy, leveraging technology, clean energy and ensuring food security,” she said.

“My focus will also be on fostering a united and thriving people of Lamu with appropriate infrastructure, security apparatus and investment in women and youth.”

But residents say the 2022 gubernatorial race will be a two-horse contest between the incumbent Mr Twaha and Mr Timamy.

The two are longtime political rivals and each will be seeking a second shot at the seat after Mr Timamy defeated Mr Twaha and won in 2013, with the latter winning in 2017.

Mr Twaha’s 2017 win, said Ali Omar, came as a surprise to many as his 15 years as MP for Lamu West failed to yield anything substantial for the people he represented.

“We cannot say he did not do anything as an MP, because there are some projects like schools in Koreni and Mkunumbi that can be attributed to him,” he said.

“But there was nothing substantial that could have earned him a win in the 2017 General Election. To make matters worse, his five-year term as Lamu governor has been less than impressive.”

However, another resident, Ali Shebwana, disagrees with the view that Mr Twaha has done little for Lamu.

He says Mr Twaha enrolled 20,000 families in NHIF.

The governor, he adds, also ensured that students scoring 300 marks and above in their KCPE exams receive scholarships to secondary schools, apart from bursaries that the previous administration did not offer.

Mr Shebwana also says water projects have been set up in Lamu West and Lamu East sub-counties under Mr Twaha.

But nominated MCA Amina Kale criticises Mr Twaha’s leadership, saying he had failed to enable the county to tap into the unique resources it is endowed with.

Lamu depends greatly on fishing, she says, and it needs at least a fish processing plant to empower local fishers.

“The governor is full of empty promises. He pledged to connect water pipes all the way from Tana River to Lamu so that locals can have fresh water. Up to date, that promise hasn’t been fulfilled. Most of the water projects commissioned by Twaha are not viable,” she said.

Nominated MCA Salim Busaidy, who is also Mr Timamy’s political adviser, says Governor Twaha’s leadership has little to show for the four years it has been in office regarding policymaking, checks and balances and allocation of funds.