Election losers are among the aspirants eyeing various speaker positions at county assemblies.  In Siaya County, the seat has attracted a number of politicians who lost in the nominations of Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) for parliamentary and gubernatorial seats.

The politicians want to oust Speaker George Okode. They include Evans Orwenjo, who contested for the Alego/Usonga seat in 2017, and George Mugoye Mbeya who vied for Siaya governorship seat but dropped out after ODM party gave James Orengo a direct ticket.

Siaya County Assembly Clerk Eric Ogenga (right), the seat will be declared vacant once all nominated and elected members of the assembly are gazetted.

Application forms

“Those jostling for the Speaker’s post will have to pick the application forms, but they will only return them after the seat is declared vacant,” said Ogenga.

Although the seat was reserved for Rarieda sub-county, politicians have deviated from this regional balancing method that was adopted in 2013.

Orwenjo contested for Alego/Usonga parliamentary seat in 2017 but lost the party nomination to Samwel Atandi.

Outgoing Speaker Okode, who wants to defend the seat, got a boost after Azimio leader Raila Odinga visited Siaya and reportedly endorsed him as a key foot soldier.

In Kericho county, the race for the county assembly’s Speaker seat has also started, with a number of candidates expressing interest.

The post has so far attracted five people, with each of them assembling arsenals to enable them land the would-be job in the next few weeks.

 Lobbying and secret meetings have started as the aspirants woo members of the county assembly to back them.The five include Dominic Rono ( incumbent)  and outgoing Bureti MP Japheth Kiplang’at Mutai (who was the county’s first Speaker.

Others include outgoing County Executive Committee member in charge of Planning and Finance, Patrick Mutai, Davis Sang and Ben Siele, a political analyst.

In Migori County, former MP Owino Likowa has been fronted for the Speaker’s slot. Likowa — who has not been in the political limelight — has been living a quiet life at his home in Kakrao, Suna East.

He retired from active politics 10 years ago after he lost the seat to former MP John Pesa. 

Pesa also lost the seat, which is currently held by Junet Mohammed.

The battle for the county speaker has been dominated by clan arithmetic.