Politics: Nandi governor Stephen Sang in trouble as city lawyer eyes his seat

Barely two years into office, a new political wave is sweeping across Nandi. Nairobi based lawyer Allan Kosgey, son to the former industrialization minister and long time Tinderet constituency member of parliament Henry Kosgey has been criss-crossing the county in what many pundits have termed as political maneuvers aimed at endearing him to the electorate.

Allan had unsuccessfully vied for a parliamentary seat in Kessess constituency where he ran against the incumbent Dr. Mishra Kiprop. He did not get the Jubilee party ticket and retreated back to his practice.

Lately, the lawyer who was among the team representing Henry Kosgey at the Hague based international court has been greatly involved in matters in the county. Barely does a week pass without him attending several fundraisers in aid of different groups. He has been involved in programs across the county pointing to the fact that he is looking beyond a constituency seat.

In 2017, his father (Henry Kosgey) unsuccessfully vied for the gubernatorial seat. He was floored by the incumbent; Stephen Sang after a gruesome political contest for the Jubilee Party ticket.

Allan has however not publicly declared his interest for the top county seat. His actions have without doubt raised eyebrows from interested parties. Some residents have welcomed the lawyer with open arms while others loyal to the incumbent have done so with a pinch of salt claiming that the lawyer is a non resident and was only in Nandi for his own political gains.

Those supporting him have claimed that Allan is allowed to be involved in the county politics since his father is a resident of the county terming those opposed to his possible candidature as cowards who were afraid to face a formidable challenger.

Stephen Sang was elected by a clear majority of the Nandi electorate. He has however in the recent past been on the receiving end for not living up to his electoral promises. He made history as the youngest governor to be elected in Kenya. During the campaign period, he made promises that have seemed hard to fulfill. This has in turn made it harder for the electorate to trust his government.

Consequently, Sang's popularity has been quickly diminishing. The feud with senator Samson Cherargey has further fueled the electorates' anger with the current administration. Residents have felt that the county administration has forsaken them and is focusing on issues that are least important.

Kosgey is quickly taking advantage of the situation by providing himself as an alternative leader. He has in the recent past been moving around the county for various functions with other elected leaders. At first, it was believed that Kosgey was eyeing the Nandi Hills parliamentary seat. This was due to the fact that he had centered most of his political activities within the constituency. However, things have now changed and he is now widening his activities throughout the entire county prompting locals to suggest that he runs for the county's top seat.

It is evident that the 2022 gubernatorial contest will attract a large number of leaders, names of current sitting politicians have been suggested for the top seat. Members of parliament including Tinderet Mp Julius Melly, Nandi Hill's Alfred Keter, Senator Samson Cherargey have all been proposed to run for the top seat. Land Cabinet secretary Farida Karoney and Dr. Tuimur have also been proposed to run for the top seat in 2022. This signifies that the 2022 Nandi gubernatorial race will be a highly contested one.

In a recent poll conducted by Nandi News, in which the respondents were asked to decide between Stephen Sang and Allan Kosgey, a slim majority 51% said they would chose Sang while 49% stated that they would go with Allan. This came hot on the heels after Sang had invaded the Kibwari tea estate to reclaim part of the land.

What remains to be seen is whether he will be able to win the hearts of Nandi residents.