Wycliffe Oparanya trains eyes on 2022 top seat contest

Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya is emerging as one of the county bosses keen on ascending to the highest office of the land in 2022.

Mr Oparanya, who, after his victory in the August 8 General Election spelt out his agenda to his supporters for the next five years, further announced he would be going for a bigger post at the national level after completing his final term.

He pledged to ensure all projects he initiated were completed before exiting the county leadership to try his luck in national politics.

And the former Planning minister appears to have kicked off a quiet, behind-the-scenes campaign in preparation for the 2022 Presidential contest.

BUMPY

“My dream is to leave Kakamega a better place than I found it after I was elected the first governor of the county,” Mr Oparanya said after being sworn into office.

But the sailing into national politics for the county boss could turn out to be bumpy and unpredictable.

Unlike at the county level, Mr Oparanya will be called upon to mobilize resources for the tough battle ahead and carefully plan his campaigns to be able to attract support from the different regions.

Additionally, he will be competing for the same home support with more experienced rivals like Mr Musalia Mudavadi, the leader of ANC and Mr Moses Wetang’ula of Ford Kenya.

Mr Oparanya’s party ODM, where he is deputy party leader, lost ground in the region during the elections.

OPPOSITION

In the last two months, speculation has been rife that the county boss was positioning himself to be Deputy President William Ruto’s running mate in 2022.

Mr Oparanya has, however, denied such an arrangement and ruled out plans to join Jubilee saying he was happy to be in the Opposition.

“I won the election resoundingly on August 8, 2017. I have no plans to join Jubilee since those defecting to the party lost in the elections. I have not held any secret meetings with the DP to discuss being his running mate in 2022,” said the governor.

His critics, who include former Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale, have accused him of being lukewarm in organizing and taking part in protests against the Jubilee administration in the region.

But Mr Oparanya, in response, said the accusations amounted to  witch-hunt: “There are things I cannot do as your governor and those who expect me to join protests and to demonstrate my support for the opposition are mistaken.”

RUMOURS

He adds; “They have even tried to sour my relationship with ODM party leader Raila Odinga but I want to tell them to stop wasting their time.”

The governor adds that the “rumours” were meant to hurt his future presidential ambitions.

Mr Oparanya’s development scorecard propelled him to a resounding victory in the August 8 polls against his opponents who included Dr Khalwale.

During his first term in office, the governor focused on putting in place structures that would provide a plank for his development agenda and re-election.

The tarmacking of key rural roads and rehabilitation of infrastructure in the county including modern markets in the twelve sub-counties could serve as a major boost to the county chief in his campaign for the State House job.

Other key projects Mr Oparanya initiated in his first term include the rehabilitation of Bukhungu stadium into a modern sports facility at a cost of Sh1 billion, the ongoing construction of the County Teaching and Referral hospital at cost of Sh6 billion.

TRANSFORM LIVELIHOODS

His supporters  say his performance in the last four years had shown he had the potential of delivering  at the national level if elected president.

Exuding confidence, Mr Oparanya said he had gained invaluable experience when he served as Planning Minister during President Kibaki’s administration.

“I decided to contest the governorship seat because of the vast experience I had gained as Planning Minister. It has not been easy actualising my dream to transform livelihoods in Kakamega by addressing rampant poverty in rural communities,” said Mr Oparanya.

The county chief says he has benefitted a lot by working closely with opposition leader Raila Odinga and hopes to step into his (Raila’s) shoes when he retires from politics.