A plan is underway to bring into a coalition all fringe political parties within the larger Gusii region ahead of the 2027 General election. Talks are already at advanced stages with leaders from Kenya Social Congress, Kenya National Congress, PDP and United Progressive Alliance likely to ink a deal soon. “The formula is either we do a coalition or collapse them and stick with one as a community,” former South Mugirango MP Omingo Magara said. This, he said, would ultimately leverage the community’s bargaining power in the national agora. Magara, who is also the PDP party chairman, said all the…
Author: Magati Obebo
Kisii Governor Simba Arati has read a riot act on an ODM party faction censuring party Secretary General Edwin Sifuna over his hardline position against the broadbased President William Ruto administration. Arati said only Nairobi Senator Sifuna was licensed by the party membership to speak the mind of the party when duty calls. ” I want to call upon all those are making noise to leave Senator Sifuna alone.. He speaks the mind of the party,” Arati stated. “I have seen several attacks on him… All of you need to know is that Senator Sifuna is the Secretary General of…
Revolt is gathering apace in Kisii against main parties, ODM and UDA, as the region quickly gears up to back former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi for the presidency in 2027. Already a section of legislators have read out a riot act on ODM leader Raila Odinga citing open discrimination. They now hint at joining the party Matiangi would potentially use to chase his bid for the coveted seat. Matiangi is linked to the United Progressive Alliance party whose leaders say they would field him as flag bearer. In Kisii, elders especially from Masaba South have already weighed in asking…
Renowned Swahili author Dr Timothy Arege is new CECM for sports and youth in Kisii County. He replaced Dr Alfred Ndemo who resigned from office in controversial move. Arege is the popular author of Mstahiki Meya, a one time set book in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary School Examinations. Before taking up the new appointment in Kisii, Dr Arege was don at Kenyatta University. He also runs publishing business in Nairobi. During his swearing in Thursday, Arati took the opportunity to earn officers against sleaze and using their offices for self aggrandisement. “You have come here to purposely work, it…
Restive villagers at Ekerubo in Masaba South, Kisii County Thursday, with fury, protested over skewed recruitments at the local government funded affordable housing project. Pleas to the officers in charge at the Ekerubo Housing Project to address the problem had gone addressed they told journalists . George Ratemo, one of the protesters , said the project is heavily manned by non-locals as youth from the surrounding area villages continue to suffer from lack of jobs. “You go to the entrance and you get greeted by a maasai or a Pokomo, at the site are staff from Meru while others are…
Elders from Masaba South Sub-County in Kisii Thursday urged for collective unity among the residents and the regional political leaders in backing former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi for president. They said the bid by Matiangi should be a do or die assignment for all the leaders from Gusii irrespective of party affiliation. Matiangi is yet to formerly announce his bid for the seat. Matiangi as CS in the Uhuru Kenyatta government is credited for undertaking a raft of reforms especially in the education sector. Speaking at a Masimba suburb, the elders from Masaba expressed concern with South Mugirango MP…
A court in Kisii Wednesday indicted four men over the murder of witchcraft suspects. Among the four are a man and his son. The four would serve a total of 135 years, 40 years each in prison. They were hauled to court over the slaughter of four women in Marani over witchcraft in October 2021. The four were named as Amos Nyakundi Ondieki alias Sonko, Evans Ogeto Okari and Hesborn Ong’ondi Gichana. Chrispine Makworo who is Ondieki’s son, a minor during the incident was slapped with a lenient 15 year imprisonment. Justice Waweru Kiarie delivered the ruling virtually Wednesday morning.…
Kisii Governor Simba Arati rallied support for former powerful Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi’s bid for presidency. Even though he has not openly declared his intentions to run for president, speculations are that Matiangi will join the race. On Tuesday, Arati lectured South Mugirango MP Sylvanus Osoro telling him off over recent remarks he made that the community was not ripe yet to produce a candidate for presidency in the forthcoming general election. “Let me ask, i overheard a certain MP from amongst us saying that we have not come of age to gun for presidency.. That is very unfortunate.”…
Nyamira County’s West Mugirango constituency Member of Parliament Steve Mogaka Tuesday said the Gusii people deserve better appointments from the State. At no moment, he added, should the community lower its standards to satiate the whims of selfish individuals bent on pleasing the president. “Someone tell the president we actually deserve better appointments not what he was dishing out to Timothy Bosire we are not meant for left overs” the MP told journalists in Nyamira Tuesday. Bosire, former Kitutu Masaba MP was Friday appointed to a non executive position as chair of the National Transport Safety Authority but hastily rejected…
The rejection of State appointment Friday by ODM National Treasurer Timothy Bosire was Sunday described as an act done in bad faith. Mr Bosire turned the appointment as chair to the National Transport and Safety Authority citing consultations from family and friends. The former Kitutu Masaba MP had rejected the offer hours apart after the appointment was inked in the Government gazette on, January 17, 2025. Others who had since refused to take up offers from Ruto include Vincent Kemosi and Milicent Omanga. The duo were known die hards of Ruto and helped campaign vigorously for him prelude to the…
The government should equip and improve infrastructure in technical colleges to aid absorb students who scored grades that are below the university entry threshold. School principals in Kisii Thursday said Kenya still needs skill based workforce to enhance its capacity to industrialize itself. Tivet courses they said, are pivotal in the development of the country and thus the need that they be funded adequately. At St Joseph Nyabigena Boys, school chief Dismus Omoke said skill courses are an important cog in the efforts to grow its economy. Omoke asked parents to reduce the anxiety on university grades adding that higher…
Some members of Kisii clergy Kisii have urged for sobriety in the use of social media as a tool of communication. Speaking separately, the clerics said the abuse of the platforms, especially by the youth, was reason fueling the growing number of abductions in the country. The latest disappearances have been primarily young men who have criticized President William Ruto online. Some of the victims have been released traumatized. Police have denied involvement, but activists have questioned why they appear not to be investigating the disappearances. “Social media is open to all of us, let there be honest efforts to…
The Auditor General Report has flagged Kisii County for suspected imprudent expenditure of funds channeled from the exchequer. It further fingers suspicious payments to unauthorized staff among them a senior officer employed irregularly. In most incidents, Governor Simba Arati was at pains explaining the expenditure of funds allocated to him in 2023-2024 fiscal year. He breached the law by also supplying to auditors doctored records on spending. For instance a staggering Sh14 million could not be accounted for after the administration reported using Sh96 million on domestic travel and tea. The Auditor however reported variation in the data captured in…
President William Ruto is expected in Kisii late Tuesday where he would usher in the New Year 2025. Ruto would be breaking the tradition where other presidents had been hosting the new year fetes in Mombasa. He last year ushered in the new year in Nakuru. In Kisii, South Mugirango MP Sylvanus Osoro, also Majority Chief Whip, in a tweet, welcomed the head of State to the County Capital. “We are looking forward to hosting the President, this is definitely a special gesture to the community at large,” he later told this journalist in a text. By late Monday, the…
A political activist in Kisii was Friday left nursing injuries after a suspected attack by goons. The Juhudi Africa communications executive, Benard Nyamwaro, was however, rescued by police officers after raising alarm through a proxy. Speaking to journalists, Nyamwaro claimed the goons had descended on him while visiting the office of a senior Kisii County executive Friday afternoon. He was accompanied by Cephas Tungai, also an activist. “We were visiting him with a friend when a group of goons sauntered into the office and viciously attacked me,” he told journalists outside Kisii Central Police Station where he went to file…