Six aspirants have announced their bid to succeed Kwale Governor Salim Mvurya as he exits office in the next year’s General Election.
Governor Mvurya is exiting the office after two-term tenure at the house on the hills of Kwale town.
In the frontline of the gubernatorial seat is Deputy Governor Fatuma Achani who is out to replace his boss.
She will battle it with Speaker Sammy Ruwa, Agriculture Principal Secretary Prof Hamadi Boga, Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) employee Lung’anzi Mangale, Former Minister Chirau Makwere, and Businessman Daniel Dena.
This will be a second attempt for Mr. Mwakwere who is a former Matuga MP and who at one time also served as an ambassador.
Governor Mvurya wants Ms Achani to succeed him and the duo has been crisscrossing Kwale County for campaigns.
Mr Mvurya in his intensified campaigns has urged residents to shun what he termed as cheap propaganda by his opponents over the choice of Ms Achani.
“My idea to support my deputy is driven by the quest to sustain the record of good development that Kwale has witnessed. By supporting my deputy, it is definitely that you will be sustaining my track record and spur further development in our county,” he said in a recent meeting in Kwale.
It is his word in every meeting he attends that he asks residents to support his deputy’s bid to take over him in the next general elections. In a recent burial of former Mwamvumbo Ward MCA Anthony Lunkuni last weekend, Mr Mvurya urged residents to vote for Ms Achani next year to enable her to continue with the good work of development.
The duo has been launching projects and overseeing them in various parts of the country together as Ms Achani amplified her bid to succeed Mr Mvurya. She has been her deputy since their first term in 2013.
“I want to be the governor because I believe that there are so many projects that Mr Mvurya and I have started that should be completed,” she said adding that their successful projects on Education, Health and Infrastructure development was meant to progress and this could only happen if she gets the top position.
Ms Achani has since then said she is still in Jubilee party and has not moved to any other party.
During his mother’s burial in Kinango in August, Governor Mvurya told mourners including the Deputy President William Ruto who was present that Ms Achani was the best candidate to take over from her and become the first woman Governor at the Coast.
Ms Achani has been credited for several education initiatives such as the “Elimu ni Sasa” that ensures all bright students join secondary school and universities on scholarships and Governor Mvurya said such initiatives would easily fail to continue if any other leader who is not passionate about it takes position.
As the battle for the Kwale rages other aspirants have been using different strategies such as gatherings in villages and online platforms to push for their bid to gain popularity.
This includes funerals, church services and women empowerment meetings at ward levels.
Mr Dena, who has vied for the same seat twice unsuccessfully, announced that he will be running under KANU party while Eng Lung’anzi said he had settled on United Democratic Alliance (/UDA) that is affiliated with DP William Ruto.
Mr Ruwa said he will contest under Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) while Mr Makwere is under Wiper Party.
Agriculture Principal Secretary and his tourism counterpart Safina Kwekwe will be his running mate with the slogan ‘BOGASAFI’. They have not yet announced their party.
