Kisii County Senator Richard Momoima Onyonka stands as the senior-most elected political figure in the Gusii region. Having navigated nearly two decades of high-stakes political battles, Onyonka is no stranger to tough fights. However, as the next general election approaches, his rift with Kisii Governor Simba Arati sets up the fiercest contest of his long career—one where his political path looks increasingly steep.
Onyonka’s political trajectory launched in 2007, when he clinched the Kitutu Chache parliamentary seat by defeating seasoned powerhouses like Hon. Jimmy Angwenyi the incumbent MP then and later to be the first Governor of Kisii County H.E. James Ongwae.
Over the next decade, he proved his remarkable staying power. He successfully defended his seat in 2013 following the division of the constituency into Kitutu Chache North and Kitutu Chache South, and went on to secure a third consecutive term in 2017 while defying shifting party dynamics across the region.
By 2022, Onyonka transitioned seamlessly into countywide politics. Teaming up with Simba Arati in a formidable coalition ticket, he swept the senatorial seat against formidable political veterans, including former MP Omingo Magara and Kisii's first Deputy Governor Joash Maangi.
However, that post-election alliance was short-lived. Sharp disagreements over county management, budget oversight, and contrasting leadership styles sparked an intense public fallout between the senator and the governor. The dispute quickly escalated into legal battles, with the High Court issuing temporary injunctions restricting Onyonka from making defamatory statements regarding Arati’s administration. Despite the legal friction, Onyonka has doubled down on his oversight duties, continuously raising concerns about county resource allocations and setting the stage for a dramatic showdown.
Now declaring his intent to challenge Arati for the top seat, Onyonka enters a fight fundamentally different from any he has faced before. Arati commands the vast advantages of gubernatorial incumbency, controlling administrative machinery and key development initiatives across Kisii’s sub-counties. Coupled with Arati's deep grassroots popularity and aggressive populist style, the incumbent presents a formidable barrier. Having severed ties with the ruling county executive, Onyonka must now build a standalone political machine capable of dismantling a well-entrenched network—making this trial of endurance his hardest political fight yet.
