Kesses MP James Bett hopes for victory as 'special' contester joins chase
Dr Swarup Mishra (in red shirt) at Hill School in Eldoret town on March 5, 2017 to campaign for the Kesses parliamentary position. He is confident of a win. PHOTO | JARED NYATAYA | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The chairman of Mediheal Group of Hospitals, with its base in the county, is plotting to unseat current MP James Bett.
- It should be noted that none of the MPs in the former Eldoret South constituency has ever been be re-elected to the August House.
- Mr Bett said that he had ensured even distribution of the Constituency Development Funds (CDF) that benefited many students.
The battle for the Kesses parliamentary seat in Uasin Gishu County would just have been the usual contest between members of the same community.
However, the entry of a non-local to the field has thrown the race wide open in the constituency that hosts Moi University, the second public university to be established in Kenya, after the University of Nairobi.
An aspirant of Indian origin has vowed to topple all other contestants and become the first non-Kalenjin to hold a parliamentary seat in the region.
Dr Swarup Mishra is well known in Eldoret Town. He promises to use his connections with the locals to amass adequate votes that will enable him romp to Parliament with ease in August.
The chairman of Mediheal Group of Hospitals, with its base in the county, is plotting to unseat current MP James Bett.
Although he was born in India, Dr Mishra is a Kenyan citizen who has had tremendous success in the medical field.
Most of his hospitals are in Eldoret. Perhaps one of his promises, which has resonated well with the masses, is to purchase a cow for each and every household in the constituency if elected.
The aspirant moved to Kenya from India 18 years ago with only a few dollars to his name and a dream.
“I came here to seek opportunities,” he said. Today, he is fully assimilated into the Kenyan culture and in particular the Kalenjin one.
“I am more Kalenjin than a number of Kalenjins in this region. My name is Kiprop arap Chelule. Kiprop means born during the rain while Chelule means from outside baptised into the community. My clan is Chepkendi, Nandi,” he told the Nation in an interview.
PRAY FOR ME
Together with his wife Palavi, the couple took up jobs as lecturers at Moi University, while practising as gynaecologists on part time basis.
“I taught 16 batches of graduates. One of my most prominent student is the current Health Principal Secretary, Dr Nicholas Muraguri,” he said.
The couple started investing in the medical sector and within no time, they had hospitals in Eldoret, Nakuru as well as Kigali, Rwanda.
“We did not have any money when we came to Kenya. We had 500 US dollars approximately Sh30,000 then. Our total investment in terms of the number of hospitals and the services we offer is around 100 million US dollars, which is around Sh10 billion,” he explained.
The man, who has now employed more than 1,000 workers, believes that Kenyans can still make a breakthrough in some of the terminal diseases, which have become rampant like cancer and kidney diseases.
Away from the medicine, he engages in politics, which he terms a hobby.
“People say politics is bad, but for me I think and believe that politics is not a bad game but a good profession. It can be a hobby. It can be like sports. It is like golf,” he said.
During a recent campaign rally at Annex trading centre on the Eldoret-Nakuru Highway, Dr Mishra pleaded with religious leaders to remember him in prayers to enable him overcome the titanic political battle ahead of him.
The meeting had been hosted by members of the Luhya, Kikuyu, and Luo communities residing in the area, who assured him of their support in his quest to clinch the Jubilee ticket.
Other leaders angling for the seat on the Jubilee Party ticket are: Uasin Gishu County Assembly Speaker Isaac Terer, former Eldoret South MP David Koros and son of former Cabinet minister Henry Kosgey, Allan.
Mr Bett, the current MP, is also confident that he will be re-elected back to Parliament.
EDUCATION SECTOR
It should be noted that none of the MPs in the former Eldoret South constituency has ever been be re-elected to the August House.
With the promulgation of current Constitution in 2010, Kesses and Kapseret constituencies were hived off Eldoret South.
“I will break this jinx. In fact, none of my competitors can match my agenda that has been to transform the constituency. I know some have deep pockets but that will not scare me as I am confident that I will be re-elected,” he said.
Mr Bett is banking on his developmental record in the last four years.
“What makes me the man to beat is that I have done a lot to uplift education standards in the region. I have built five new secondary schools and four primary schools,” said the lawmaker.
In addition, Mr Bett said that he had ensured even distribution of the Constituency Development Funds (CDF) that benefited many students.
Dr Mishra says if elected, he will serve all the six wards in the area equally.
