By James Okoth
Kisumu County could be approaching its own Barabas moment in the 2027 gubernatorial election, a defining choice between political spectacle and leadership that puts the interests of ordinary citizens first.
The choice facing voters may not simply be about who can command the loudest crowds, deliver the most electrifying speeches or generate the biggest political hullabaloo.
It could ultimately come down to a more consequential question: Who can be trusted with the county’s resources, institutions and future?
For Kisumu, the cost of getting that decision wrong could be enormous.
A governor is not merely a political mobiliser. The office is the engine room of county government, responsible for translating public resources into functioning health facilities, better roads, reliable water systems, support for agriculture, jobs and opportunities for young people, and services that reach the most vulnerable.
When voters elevate political interests above these priorities, the consequences are felt long after the campaign rallies have disappeared.
That is where Deputy Governor Dr Mathew Owili presents himself as a markedly different proposition.
Owili’s political pitch is less about political theatre and more about administration, institutional experience and continuity in government.
His argument is straightforward.
“Kisumu needs a governor who understands how government works, how policies are developed, how budgets are implemented, how departments are coordinated and, most importantly, how public programmes ultimately affect the ordinary resident.” Owili says.
His experience inside the county administration gives him an understanding of both the opportunities and weaknesses within the devolved system.
That experience could prove particularly important as Kisumu enters another election cycle in which competing political narratives are likely to dominate public discourse.
The danger for voters is that personality could once again overshadow performance.
A candidate may possess political popularity but lack the administrative capacity required to manage a county whose budget runs into billions of shillings. Another may promise dramatic transformation without demonstrating how such transformation will be financed, implemented and sustained.
For Kisumu residents, therefore, the 2027 election presents a test of political maturity.
The county cannot afford to choose leadership simply because of slogans, ethnic arithmetic, political alliances or the excitement generated by campaign rallies.
The real test should be competence, integrity, accountability and the ability to put people ahead of personal political ambition.
This is where the Barabas analogy becomes particularly relevant.
In the biblical account, the crowd was confronted with a choice between two very different figures. The metaphor has endured because it speaks to the consequences of collective choices and the possibility of choosing what is politically attractive in the moment over what may ultimately serve the greater good.
“Kisumu’s choice in 2027 should therefore not be reduced to personalities. It should be about what kind of county residents want to build.” Owili emphasises.
Do they want leadership consumed by political contests, endless positioning and the pursuit of individual power?
Or do they want an administration focused on hospitals that work, roads that are maintained, water that reaches households, schools that receive proper support, farmers who can earn from their work and young people who can see a future within their own county?
Owili’s advantage is that he enters this contest with an administrator’s understanding of government.
He has operated within the county’s executive structure and understands the machinery through which political promises become programmes or fail to become programmes.
That distinction matters.
Kisumu does not necessarily need another leader whose greatest qualification is the ability to generate political noise.
It needs someone capable of sitting behind the machinery of government, asking difficult questions, demanding results from departments and ensuring that public money delivers public value.
That is the space Owili is seeking to occupy.
His challenge, however, will be to convince voters that administrative experience can translate into a stronger, more accountable and people-centred government.
For the electorate, the responsibility is equally heavy.
The 2027 gubernatorial election should be treated not as a popularity contest but as a five-year contract between citizens and the person entrusted with their county.
The question should be simple: Who will put Kisumu first?
If voters make that the central question, the political noise will matter less.
And in that quieter contest of competence versus spectacle, Dr Mathew Owili has an opportunity to present himself as the experienced administrator Kisumu needs, not merely another politician seeking power, but a leader seeking to make devolution work for the people.
