With just a year into the 2022 general elections, factions are quickly emerging and taking shape. Nandi County has not been left behind in the race to succeed the incumbent; Stephen Kipyego Sang.
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Governor Sang quickly rose to the top of the Nandi political ladder after successfully outmaneuvering former Governor Dr. Cleophas Lagat, former Agriculture Minister Felix Kosgey and political heavyweight Henry Kosgey to clinch the hotly contested Jubilee Party seat in the 2017 party primaries.READ ALSO: Cherargei: Sang and allies are fleecing Nandi County
Hardly had he settled on the throne than cracks started emerging. His unison with his senator could not withstand the pressure occasioned by division of resources in the county.
According to Cherargei, Governor Sang was not fair in appointing people into county positions. He accused the Governor of employing his friends at the expense of qualified people from Nandi.
The Senator and the Governor have clashed severally in public fora over what the Senator has termed as incompetence on the part of Sang in administrative and leadership matters.
READ ALSO: Why Allan Kosgey's movements are causing political storms in Nandi
In a video seen recently by Nandi News, Cherargei stated that the legislators from Nandi had abandoned Sang for failing to deliver on his mandate.
"You see we've no kind words for the governor, it is because we told him that if he doesn't live up to the expectations of the electorate, then things would not be the same again," said Cherargei.
The Senator further claimed that Governor Sang had brought in some friends from Uasin Gishu County.
"He has opted to go to Uasin Gishu County and look for friends who are in turn given county tenders. Look at the works being done in Kapsabet, Chepterwai, Kabiyet NCC, all these contracts have been awarded to his new found friends." said Cherargei.
DAVID LAGAT
One of the respected businessmen in Nandi, David Lagat of the DL Koisagat Enterprises also hit out at the Governor, telling him to work for the people or if he couldn't then he should go home.
"Tutakutoa asubuhi na mapema, fanya kazi," said Lagat.
SPEAKER JOSHUA KIPTOO
The Nandi County Speaker doesn't have any kind words for the Governor either. According to him, the Governor has been a let down to the people of Nandi. The speaker has on several occasions questioned Sang's commitment towards improving the livelihood of Nandi residents.
Speaking during the burial of a prominent businessman in Nandi county at the beginning of the year, Kiptoo questioned why Sang had failed to protect farmers in the county. He wondered why despite the substantial number of farmers engaged in sugarcane farming, there had been no visible advocacy by the Governor in ensuring that the farmers are protected.
Governor Sang has failed; Nandi READ ALSO: Speaker Joshua Kiptoo says
"We have quite a number of sugarcane farmers here in Chemase, we haven't heard the governor raise issues to do with that. Every time we hear Governors Nyong'o of Kisumu and his Kakamega counterpart Wycliffe Oparanya talking about the plight of the cane farmers. We are yet to hear ours do the same," he said.
The Speaker also added that despite the County Assembly having cooperated with the Executive in ensuring that budgets are passed, the Executive had failed in prudently utilizing the said resources.
On his part, Governor Sang has stated that the assertions by his Senator were mere political witch-hunt.
"The Senator always summons me to the Senate yet he doesn't ask me what he always says in the public domain. The Senator has written various letters to EACC but they all haven't bore any results. This tells you that the Senator is only trying to gain political mileage instead of seeking the truth." said Sang.
SUCCESSION POLITICS
With 2022 political season approaching, political temperatures have been steadily rising with different factions looking to unseat incumbent Governor Stephen Sang.
It is still unclear whether Senator Cherargei will be trying to unseat the Governor. He has been moving around the county for a large part of the last and new year castigating Governor Sang. This is similar to what Sang was doing in the run up to the 2017 general elections, running a campaign against the then incumbent Dr. Cleophas Lagat.
Sang is facing a tough list of competitors who are eyeing his seat. Among the most prominent names include Nairobi based lawyer Allan Kosgey, Antipas Tirop, former governor Dr. Cleophas Lagat, Kiplimo Rugut among other politicians.
The race to the Governorship is expected to be a tough one for Sang.
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