Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka has revealed plans to contest for the Bungoma gubernatorial seat in the 2022 General Election.
Lusaka, who served as Bungoma County’s first governor, is seeking to recapture the seat after the 2017 defeat by incumbent Wycliffe Wangamati.
He said he shelved his presidential running mate ambitions after consultations with the county residents.
“I had wished to go for the running mate position with one of the leading presidential candidates in the country, but when I consulted my people, all of them said I should return and complete what I started in Bungoma, because the county is heading in the wrong direction due to poor leadership,” he said.
He made the remarks over the weekend during the burial of veteran journalist John Muganda in Mbakalo, Tongaren.
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Wangamati, Lusaka said, has little to show for the over four years he has been in office.
“It’s regrettable that Governor Wangamati is unable to ride on the governance structures we set. He has nothing to show. No wonder everywhere [I] go, people are complaining,” he said.
The Speaker indicated he is still consulting on which party to use in the polls.
“Give me time. I’ll announce which vehicle I’ll use at an opportune time. At the moment let’s [put] structures in place.
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“Let my supporters be patient, I’ll make a public announcement about the party so that we move together but at the moment let’s be issue-based and pray about peaceful coexistence.”
Ford Kenya leader Moses Wetangula is on record saying Lusaka is the party’s choice for the governor seat, sidelining Wangamati who was elected on a Ford Kenya ticket.
However, Lusaka is yet to publicly react to the endorsement.
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Lusaka, who was elected governor in 2013, was named Senate Speaker after losing the 2017 polls on a Jubilee ticket.
He defected to the ruling party in 2016 after his New Ford Kenya merged with 12 other parties to join President Uhuru Kenyatta’s camp.
Other candidates eyeing the Bungoma governor seat include Nairobi businessman Zacharia Barasa, Kibabii University lecturers Sophy Waliaula and Peter Khakina.
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