Kisii’s 2027 gubernatorial contest is taking shape as Senator Richard Onyonka now joins former Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu in mounting a challenge to Governor Simba Arati.
Questions however linger over whether the senator has the financial muscle to sustain a prolonged countywide campaign.
Onyonka, a former Kitutu Chache MP and current senator, is seeking to turn his long parliamentary career into a bid for the county’s top seat.
He has declared his gubernatorial ambitions and was preparing to launch his campaign in Marani before a late Thursday communication said it had been rescheduled from Friday.
But behind the political declarations by the veteran legislator lies a difficult campaign reality.
Some , including close associates are questioning whether Onyonka has the war chest required to finance an expensive gubernatorial campaign stretching across all nine constituencies.
"He is my friend, brilliant and vocal but does not have a penny to campaigns his his bid ," a source close to the Senator confided.
"Going for governship isn't a jog in the park and that is where Onyonka will get it rough if he carries his threat," stated another politician close to the governor hopeful.
Another critic said Onyonka is wrapping up his political career if he vies.
"That is an exit strategy, I bet so," said John Ongwae from Nyatieko.
Ongwae also theorised that Onyonka was likely not serious with his gubernatorial bid.
" I suspect he wants to hawk the Omogetutu clan to the highest bidder," he told Nation Alert.
The claims about the veteran politician's finances have not been independently quantified, but the question of resources is increasingly becoming part of the political conversation surrounding his bid.
The electoral period in Kenya sees massive cash handouts and immense investments in party-branded paraphernalia such as posters, t-shirts, shukas for women, boda boda reflectors, and other household foodstuff or goodies meant to influence voting for a certain candidate.
The agency has already capped the spending to Sh 62 million for those bidding for Governorship in Kisii.
In the neighbouring Nyamira, a governor candidate would use Sh 38m, a half of what an aspirant in Kisii is licensed by the electoral body to expend.
The mind-boggling sums of money spent during the campaign season has often been blamed for exacerbating corruption and theft of public funds by current office holders.
From past campaigns, Onyonka has not invested in any merchandise but often riding on the largesse of the team that tags him along.
"It will be a political experiment if he uses an old script..the county is vast to drive around with no merchandise," said Mary Bosibori, a voter in Daraja Mbili in Kitutu Chache South where Onyonka hails from.
During the last poll, Onyonka was the lead campaigner in the Simba Arati and Donya Toto team which romped to victory overshadowing Ezekiel Machogu.
Today,Onyonka’s candidature also carries a strong clan dimension.
He hails from the Omogetutu clan, which previously occupied the governor’s office through former governor James Ongwae.
Ongwae served as Kisii governor from 2013 to 2022 before handing over to Arati.
Among sections of the county’s political establishment, an unwritten principle of rotation has long featured in discussions about succession.
The argument is that the governorship should rotate among major Gusii clans after one community has held the seat for two terms.
That proposition from Onyonka would thus faces resistance from Arati’s supporters.
The governor comes from Bobasi, and his political base is keen to retain the seat for a second term.
They are increasingly framing the 2027 contest around continuity, arguing for another term for the incumbent rather than a return to the politics of clan rotation.
Arati entered the governor’s office in 2022 after serving as Dagoretti North MP. He has since built a political network across Kisii and is mobilising support for another term, with his administration’s record, development programmes and grassroots organisation expected to feature prominently in his campaign.
Former education CS Ezekiel Machogu adds another dimension to the contest.
Having challenged Arati for the governorship in 2022 and subsequently served as Education Cabinet Secretary, he brings national-government experience and established political networks.
Political observers have described him as a significant challenger to Arati.
The race could become even more complicated if Ongwae returns to elective politics by contesting the Senate seat.
His possible comeback could alter alliances and introduce another experienced political player into the county’s political calculations.
There is also speculation in some quarters that Onyonka could eventually reconsider the governorship and seek to retain his Senate seat.
Publicly, however, he continues to present himself as a gubernatorial contender.
With Machogu seeking another attempt, Onyonka making the leap from Senate to governor and Arati defending his first-term record, the Kisii contest is increasingly becoming a battle over incumbency, clan rotation, political networks, campaign resources and alliances.
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