How Wanga’s governor bid launch brought Homa Bay politics to play

Homa Bay County Woman Representative Gladys Wanga launched her bid for governor's seat on Sunday. [Courtesy]

Homa Bay Woman Representative, Gladys Wanga’s weekend launch of her gubernatorial bid has brought to the fore the underlying deep divisions in the battle for county seats. 

Besides giving the event a wide berth, a section of county leaders took to their social platforms to criticise the event, saying it was not an Azimio la Umoja function.

None of the area MPs, including the two elected women Mp- Rangwe's Dr Lilian Gogo and Suba North's Millie Odhiambo attended the event.

Wanga however had with her a national brigade of women supporting Azimio leader Raila Odinga, as well as other national Azimio leaders and supporters.

Among them was Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu, Murang'a woman representative Sabina Chege, Narok Senator Ledama Ole Kina and Royal Media Services chairman S.K Macharia.

"Where a woman is vying for Governor, I will be there.... that is why I am here," Ngilu told the highly charged launch.

“We came here to support Wanga because we know that Baba believes in women. We must support him, we believe that on August 9 baba will be in State House,” Chege said.

Five days to Wanga’s mega launch in Homa Bay, Millie Odhiambo had shared a thought on Facebook late into the night saying the national Azimio la Umoja campaign brigade should not take part in supporting individual aspirants.

“We should not use the National Azimio Brigade Campaign to support individual candidates. Focus on Baba campaigns,” she posted on her official Facebook page on February 8, just five minutes past 11 pm.

Then a day after Gladys Wanga’s launch, Dr Gogo also took to her Facebook and said, “There was no Azimio la Umoja in Homa bay yesterday. That was an individual function”.

None of the duo could be reached by The Standard on phone for a response.

Similarly, their Homa Bay town counterpart Peter Kaluma also appeared to oppose the Azimio campaign team backing Wanga’s bid.

“You have turned Azimio la Umoja into a joke yet we have not even reached our destination. You are spoiling it for Baba,” he wrote in Dholuo on Facebook.

At the launch, women leaders heaped praises on Wanga, while also drumming up support for ODM leader Raila Odinga’s presidency on August 9.

?She will face former Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero, Suba South MP John Mbadi, Oyugi Magwanga (who has vied for the seat and lost twice), incumbent County Secretary Isaiah Ogwe who are both yet to launch their bids.