The race to succeed Kwale County Governor Salim Mvurya has attracted five aspirants jostling for the post ahead of the 2022 General-Election.

 Deputy Governor Fatuma Achani, Assembly Speaker Sammy Ruwa, Lunga Lunga legislator Khatib Mwashetani, Kenya Ports Authority Engineer Chai Lung’azi and Crops and Agricultural Research Principal Secretary Prof Hamadi Boga are eyeing the seat.

 Boga has settled on Tourism Principal Secretary Safina Kwekwe as his running mate.

Their campaigners have termed the duo’s ticket as Boga Safi (a Swahili connotation to mean clean capsicum).

 Achani is running on their track record with Mvurya. Speaking to People Daily, Achani said she is the ideal candidate for the job, since she will  continue with  projects they have been undertaking.

Several projects

 “We have worked on several projects for our people. I would like to urge voters to elect me as their governor come 2022 in order to continue benefiting with what we had started,” she said.

 She singled out the ‘Elimu Ni Sasa initiative,’ a project in which the county government pays full high school and university fees for students from poor backgrounds.

 “The initiative has benefitted many parents and students, because most people in Kwale are living below the poverty line and before devolution, education to them was not a priority and most learners could not proceed to high school  after completing Standard Eight,” she said.

Achani  explained that through the Elimu Ni Sasa initiative, the county government was paying full school fees for over 3,000 students. 

Mvurya has been endorsing Achani, urging locals to support her in 2022.  Lunga Kunga MP Khatib Mwashetani, however, has been Achani’s closest rival and in most occasions they have been caught up in a war of words.

Mwashetani has been accusing Achani of selfishness and hatred towards potential gubernatorial aspirants. 

“Is that seat permanently for Achani and Mvurya? Why should she develop hatred towards other aspiring candidates, ?” he posed.

 He also accused Achani of intimidating county employees considered his allies.

“I interact with the other aspirants like Lung’anzi, Ruwa and the rest very well, so the deputy governor should stop taking politics too personal, because it is the people who will make a choice in 2022,” Mwashetani said.

 Ruwa on the other hand said he is laying ground for his bid.  

“I am focusing on ground work and also shopping for a running mate, who shares his vision and who has the capacity to manage resources and opportunities with integrity,” he said.

 Ruwa said he will focus on addressing poverty, unemployment and the county’s  struggling economy.