It’s the old vs young in race for Lamu governor seat

Lamu Governor Issa Timamy (left) and County Commissioner Joseph Kanyiri share a word during an exhibition at Mkunguni square in Lamu town on July 20, 2016. Mr Timamy wants to be re-elected. PHOTO | KALUME KAZUNGU | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Mr Timamy’s re-election bid received a major boost after two key point men of his rival Mr Twaha defected to his camp.
  • Mr Twaha blames Mr Timamy for failing to unite the people and using the divide-and-rule tactics to retain power.
  • Mr Muhashiam Famau, a resident in Lamu Island, termed Mr Timamy as a leader who is there to stay.

The Lamu governor race is turning out to be an epic duel between seasoned politicians and young aspirants out to send the older generation to retirement.

Some of the old politicians are trying to resuscitate themselves from political oblivion while others are entering the murky waters of politics for the first time.

The Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport (Lapsset) corridor infrastructure project expected to be Eastern Africa’s largest and most ambitious port is a major focus in the campaigns.

The Sh2.5 trillion Lapsset project includes a multi-faceted development package of a port, a railway, resort cities, a refinery and a pipeline.

The project has affected politics in Lamu ever since it was launched several years ago with local residents demanding a share of the proceeds.

Top on the agenda has been employment of the youth.

Lamu Governor Issa Timamy had demanded that 75 per cent of job opportunities at the new port be reserved for local youths.

The county government partnered with GIZ to train 105 youth in a six-month programme dubbed “Skills on Oil and Gas in Africa (Soga)” in masonry, building and plumbing.

Some 26 youth are said to have gotten jobs in Nairobi following the training.

The frequent Al-Shabaab attacks, including 2014’s Mpeketoni massacre is also taking a central place in the campaigns with locals mainly seeking a candidate that could assure them of security and end ethnic divisions.

The other factor is the ethnic composition of the county, which has a sizeable immigrant Kikuyu community in Mpeketoni that settled there from the late 1960s determining the vote.

Mpeketoni is the most populous division in Lamu.

This population has traditionally voted alongside Mt Kenya residents, supporting the political party that controls the region, which this time is Jubilee Party.

SEARCH FOR OPPORTUNITIES
The county has faced numerous challenges that each person seeking elective position promises to solve. 

The rapidly swelling population owing to migration from other parts of the country, fuelled partly by the anticipated opportunities arising from the Lapsset projects present the latest challenge.

But other perennial challenges have been landlessness and poor land management, insufficient social services such as health care and education, inadequate supply of piped and fresh water, under-developed infrastructure and food insecurity.

There are extensive mangrove forests in the area but due to over-exploitation or perhaps political interference, harvesting was banned several years ago.

This, according to local political leaders, devastated the county’s economy.

They argued that mangrove export to other parts of Kenya and the Middle East, formed the backbone of the county’s economy and by banning it, it was like killing the economy.

The county is made of cosmopolitan population composed of indigenous communities like Swahili’s, Arabs, Koreni, Boni and Ormas and the migrant communities from the rest of the country.

The area’s population as projected in 2012 stands at 112, 252 but the Lapsset project has attracted a huge migrant population estimated to be over a million.

This in effect has overstretch the county’s social services necessitating corresponding development planning for adequate service provision, which the current leadership has struggled to deal with and which the incoming one must tackle.

Even after counties shared Sh307 billion in the 2016/17 Budget, up from Sh259 billion in the previous financial year with the devolved units receiving an additional allocation of Sh18.2 billion for free maternal health, leasing of medical equipment, Level five hospitals and road repairs, Lamu County got the least allocation at Sh2.5 billion compared to Nairobi, which had the largest of Sh15.3 billion.

This has been the trend since the inception of devolution in 2013.

The Commission on Revenue Allocation has recommended the allocation of Sh377.5 billion to the 47 county governments in the next financial year but the trend is not likely to change for Lamu.

This factor puts the county planners in a tighter situation is as far as planning for the swelling population is concerned.

VISIONARY LEADER
Various gubernatorial aspirants in the county have been emerging with new political strategies to enable them win in the August polls by promising many things.

The key candidates so far include the incumbent Mr Timamy of the Amani National Congress (ANC), who is likely to face stronger opposition from tycoon and former Lamu West MP Fahim Twaha of Jubilee Party.

Others are former Electricity Generation Manager at KenGen, Eng Swaleh Imu, and former Board of Directors member of Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) Mr Abdalla Fadhil.

Nairobi-based lawyer, Mr Mwaure Waihiga, has also featured in the county’s political discussions as a possible candidate.

The main battle though is likely to be between Mr Timamy and Mr Twaha, who have already launched massive campaigns especially in areas which they believe are vote-rich.

For incumbent Timamy, he seems to take advantage of the fact that he is enjoying massive following since he took over the reins in 2013 and this has been evident through the massive and numerous projects that he has implemented across the county.

Early this month, Mr Timamy’s re-election bid received a major boost after two key point men of his rival Mr Twaha defected to his camp.

The two, a former Lamu West MP Omar Twalib and former Lamu County Council chairman, Mr Famau Raya, declared support for Timamy terming him as the only visionary leader in the county.

Mr Timamy has also been moving round the county, more especially in Lamu East, to inspect development projects and woo voters to elect him come August 8.

Mr Timamy has asked voters to reject Mr Twaha and other aspirants noting they were not development oriented and wanted to enrich themselves from the resources of the county.

As for Mr Twaha, he has been working on tactics that will enable him win the seat. Just recently, he named a new running mate.

He replaced his 2013 running mate, Mr Raphael Munyua from his Mpeketoni stronghold, with Mr Abdulhalim Aboud from Lamu East.

He believes the move would ensure regional balance between Lamu East and West constituencies.

DISCRIMINATION
On the other hand, another gubernatorial aspirant Mr Imu has already launched his bid to oust the incumbent by first ditching the Alliance Party of Kenya, on which he had vied and lost during the 2013 General Election.

Instead, Mr Imu announced that he will be challenging Mr Timamy on a Wiper ticket.

During a recent interview with Mr Timamy in Lamu, he said he was not worried by anyone intending to vie for the seat and that he is confident of retaining it.

“I am not scared or worried at all. In fact I am very ready and those seeking to challenge me are most welcomed for it is your democratic right. I believe in the Lamu people and I am sure that the best man in terms of leadership will emerge victorious at the end,” said Mr Timamy.

Mr Timamy’s selling points are the health sector and infrastructure where he has made major strides in improving facilities and reducing the high number of maternal deaths.

“These were caused by ignorance among pregnant women who preferred home deliveries. As we speak, maternal deaths have greatly reduced since the number of women seeking hospital deliveries had increased by over 80 per cent,” he said.

Major sections of the island’s streets have also been cabro-paved and Lamu Old Town, Mpeketoni and Kizingitini streets installed with modern lighting systems.

But his major political rival Mr Twaha sees it differently as he blames Mr Timamy for failing to unite the people and using the divide-and-rule tactics to retain power.

He accused Mr Timamy of serving people based on their ethnicity.

“The governor has been favouring some areas of the county. People in Mpeketoni are left out. He has also failed to unite the Lamu people. People are seeing each other as Kikuyus, Bajunis, Kambas, Bonis and Giriamas instead of Kenyans living in the county,” said Mr Twaha. 

Apart from Mr Twaha who garnered 17,785 against Timamy’s 19,744 votes in the last election, the other contestants have substantial support base within the islands that can be a ‘headache’ for the governor.

PROGRESSIVE LEADER
Mr Fadhili for example said he is confident to capture the seat due to his vast experience as the chairman of the defunct county council of Lamu.

Locals interviewed by the Nation in Lamu said most of the aspirants, especially the newcomers are either projects of some key politicians in the county while others just want to bank on the differences between the governor and other elected leaders such as the MCAs, MPs and senator to garner support from their strongholds.

Since assuming office, Mr Timamy has had runs-in with the 10 elected MCAs, MPs Athamn Shariff of Lamu East and Mr Julius Ndegwa of Lamu West and even Senator Abu Chiaba over county affairs.

But Mr Timamy downplays this insisting that his administration is all-inclusive and he has always strived to ensure all leaders, both elected and nominated, play an integral part in the management of county affairs.

Mr Muhashiam Famau, a resident in Lamu Island, termed Mr Timamy as a leader who is there to stay.

“He might be unstoppable in the August 8 elections due to the goodies he has so far brought to the people of Lamu.

"We have unity. Hospitals and health centres have been improved. He has distributed free certified seeds to our farmers and employed over 50 ECDE teachers.

"His government has also been assisting the over 50,000 households affected by the ongoing drought with relief food,” said Mr Muhashiam.

Mr Aboud Shebe said Mr Twaha’s getting the top seat will be a tough assignment, accusing him of not being in touch with the needs of the county and failure to deliver for the 15-year period that he was MP for Lamu West.

He said his tenure was marred by massive joblessness, corruption, drugs and increased land conflicts and general underdevelopment.

“We are curious as to what Mr Twaha thinks he can do for us now that he didn’t do for the 15 years that he was MP. There is absolutely nothing to show and at the end of the day, voters want leaders who can deliver even just a little bit,” said Mr Shebe.

EXTERNAL INFLUENCE
In Mpeketoni town, the success of Mr Timamy’s second shot at the gubernatorial slot might greatly be hampered due to the number of political enemies so far.

A local MCA who requested anonymity publicly declared his dislike for the governor.

“All the people here in Mpeketoni are Twaha’s. I don’t like Mr Timamy, more especially with the fact that he is always staging a one-man show in the running of the county affairs and implementation of key decisions. We are looking forward for the August 8 elections. We will ensure Twaha wins the seat,” he said.

Insiders of all the contestants’ camps, however, believe the August 8 elections will be influenced by ‘external forces’ from Mombasa and Nairobi counties that have vested interests in the Lamu and own huge chunks of land there.