Corruption allegations, ‘outsider’ tags and battles within two political formations are fast shaping the battle for the Kakamega governorship ahead of the August 9 elections.

 Harsh exchanges dominate the political scene with the five main protagonists going for each other’s jugular.

 The new-found alliance between Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi and Deputy President William Ruto has rattled the local political landscape.

 Zoning politics has also taken the centre stage as politicians battle to consolidate their hometurfs.

 Kakamega is zoned into the Southern or Lower zone comprising Butere, Khwisero, Matungu, Mumias West and Mumias East. Here is where Governor Wycliffe Oparanya hails from.

 Then there is the Central bloc of Ikolomani, Shinyalu, Lurambi and Navakholo.

 Malava, Lugari and Likuyani form the Northern or Upper zone.

 The main competitors are Senator Cleophas Malalah and his predecessor Boni Khalwale who are allied to the ‘Kenya Kwanza’ Alliance.

 So is Lugari MP Ayub Savula, Deputy Governor Prof. Philip Kutima and immediate former Kenya Electricity Transmission Company CEO Fernandes Barasa on ‘Azimio La Umoja’ movement.

 All the aspirants and their alignments are burning the  midnight oil as they seek a level-playing ground.

 Malalah and Khalwale hail from the Central zone yet have promised to agree on who vies for the Senate and governorship.

 Also in dilemma is the ‘Azimio’ wing which is torn between the candidacies of Savula, Barasa and Kutima.  How Central can produce senator and governor at the same time is a headache to ‘Kenya Kwanza’.

Malalah seems to have now trained his guns on Barasa whom he accused of corruption when he served at Ketraco.

 “Barasa looted Ketraco when he was the CEO and now wants to do the same in Kakamega County. We will not accept,” he said.

 There is ceasefire between Malalah and Khalwale after ANC joined forces with UDA, but analysts say it could just be shortlived because none of them seems eager to shelve ambitions of succeeding Oparanya in August.

 Even if they agreed, Kakamega Central can not produce both governor and senator at the same time.

 Barasa dismissed Malalah as a “busybody” over his graft accusations.

 “My record at Ketraco is clean and above board. Malalah and group are just scared of my candidature. They should brace for a tough fight,” he said.  Barasa has scheduled a rally at Bukhungu Stadium on March 5 and his competitors are using it to discredit him saying he is Oparanya’s project.

‘Kenya Kwanza’s’ efforts to use the stadium in the past have failed.

“I am a project of the Kakamega people. I am however not sure if Oparanya is one of them. But I would be very excited if he is,” said Barasa.

The former Ketraco boss is fighting for the support of Central and Northern blocs which believe it is their turn to produce governor.

Malalah and Savula are also working round the clock to shed the “outsider” tags.

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