Tall order as Jubilee’s team targets Nyanza votes for Uhuru

One may be tempted to compare it to the act of squeezing water from a rock.

However, for Karachuonyo MP James Rege, the man charged with spearheading Jubilee Party’s campaigns in Nyanza region, there is nothing impossible about getting President Uhuru Kenyatta votes from the region come the August 8 General Election.

The soft spoken lawmaker who defected from Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party to Jubilee citing frustrations is about to take a duty that the current Jubilee Party Secretary General Raphael Tuju and former TNA Secretary General Onyango Oloo found difficult in 2013.

NYANZA POLITICS
That Mr Rege has opted not to defend his seat may be a pointer to the uphill struggle he faces.

Since his defection and open dalliance with the Jubilee top hierarchy, Mr Rege has constantly said his move is to offer paradigm shift to politics in Luo Nyanza, which he said should change.

In this, he enjoys full backing of Mr Tuju, who, as the Jubilee party boss, is arguably in the driving seat of the bid for re-election of President Kenyatta.

GOODIES

Rege and his team are not intimidated by the fact that Nyanza is the home region of Mr Raila Odinga, the doyen of opposition politics and the National Super Alliance presidential candidate.

In the 2013 General Election, Mr Odinga amassed 1,508,779 votes in the region to beat Uhuru Kenyatta who garnered 181,961.

But Mr Rege and his team are undeterred, saying that Jubilee had undertaken numerous projects in the Nyanza counties to convince residents to vote for President Kenyatta.

MBADI CRITICISES REGE
He says that the region cannot afford to remain in opposition when other regions were benefiting as a result of working closely with the Jubilee government.

“Residents of Nyanza are also taxpayers. They do not deserve to be in opposition all of their lives,” Mr Rege contends.

As expected, the Rege-fronted Jubilee foray in the opposition bastion has been met with scepticism from ODM, the party that calls the shots in the region.

ODM national chairman John Mbadi argues that Mr Rege was not sincere in his support for Jubilee regime, which “has neglected Nyanza region because it is pro-opposition”.

“Mr Rege should not lie that the government has initiated development projects in Nyanza region when we all know there is none,” Mr Mbadi said.

SUCCESSION POLITICS
Mr Mbadi said the few development projects initiated in the region are credited to Mr Odinga during his tenure as prime minister in the grand coalition government.

But Mr George Okiki, a political commentator, says though Mr Rege’s move may be viewed in some quarters as political suicide, it was strategic in respect of political succession in Luo Nyanza.

“Mr Rege’s move should be seen as an early move to hold grip of a political region that has been under one person’s command for many years,” Mr Okiki opined.

WINNING TEAM
Mr Okiki argues that the region would undergo a political uprising should Mr Odinga lose this year’s elections.

According to Homa Bay Jubilee Party politician Odhiambo Makowiti, the team campaigning for President Kenyatta in Nyanza comprises professionals, technocrats and politicians.

“Our campaign team in Nyanza headed by Mr Rege consists of competent persons who are going to deliver,” Mr Makowiti said.

He argues that there is no much difference between this year’s election and the last one when President Kenyatta won despite a court case at the Hague.

“President Kenyatta is still headed to victory despite lies by the opposition that Jubilee has failed Kenyans,” he added.

REGE COMMENDED
Homa Bay Jubilee governorship aspirant Tom Alila is confident that Jubilee’s development initiative in the region would earn President Kenyatta votes.

“President Kenyatta is going to shock the opposition by the high number of votes he is going to receive in Nyanza,” he said.

Mr Tobias Okello, a resident of Kakdhimu Village in Karachuonyo, says Mr Rege’s move is beneficial to residents of the constituency.

“Since Mr Rege began working with the Jubilee government, we have seen development initiatives, which we couldn’t see when he was in the opposition,” said Mr Okello.

NYS PROGRAMME
Mr Okello mentions the planned tarmacking of Ojijo-Oteko ring road and the NYS youth empowerment initiative, which has seen a number of youths earn a living in the area.

The MP recently faulted Nasa leaders for seeking to cancel some multi-billion-shilling contracts signed by the Jubilee if they win this year’s General Election.

“Nyanza residents should be wary when opposition leaders are not happy with Jubilee government development initiatives in the region,” Mr Rege said.

FUNDS MISUSE

Addressing a rally in Kisii County a fortnight ago, the leaders said they would review mega projects to ensure taxpayers got value for their money.

Mr Rege, a telecommunications engineer, todau told the Nation that the region stands to benefit further if they vote for President Kenyatta in the forthcoming election.

“Nyanza residents have benefited from the Jubilee government following development programmes commenced in the region by the regime.”

He termed development initiatives like the Sh1.5 billion Kisumu oil jetty project and the Sh1.5 billion Mbita-Rusinga Bridge as examples of projects the government is undertaking to improve the region’s economy.

“The oil jetty’s target market will be around the lake and expanding the export market into Uganda and Tanzania. The project is expected to boost the region’s economic fortunes,” he said.

SGR

He explained that the plans by the government to extend standard gauge railway to Kisumu would help ease cargo transportation and improve business.

“Extension of the standard gauge railway to Kisumu will help revive industries in the lake region that collapsed as a result of the poor infrastructural network,” he said.

Last week, President Kenyatta negotiated an additional $3.59 billion (Sh359 billion) grant from China to facilitate the extension of the railway (SGR) from Naivasha to Kisumu. 

While launching a multi-million National Youth Service (NYS) youth empowerment programme on Friday in Kendu Bay Showground in Karachuonyo, the MP said he had decided not to seek re-election to concentrate on his new role.

He criticised ODM Party for applying double standards in their quest for the country’s leadership.