By Habil Onyango
With less than 15 months to the next general elections, several aspiring candidates have already started their campaigns.
Some governors in their first term and the President are working to woo voters for re-election, while others, without term limits, are fighting to keep their current seats or aiming for higher offices.
In Homa Bay, Governor Gladys Wanga, who served as the Woman Representative for 10 years before being elected as County Governor in 2022, is leaving no stone unturned in her bid to retain her seat.
She already has the support of former Suba South MP and current Finance Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, along with several other leaders, for her re-election.
However, her former Deputy Governor, Joseph Oyugi Magwanga, is already working to ensure that Wanga becomes a one-term governor.
Magwanga resigned from the position in February 2026, citing what he described as persistent issues due to irreconcilable differences with Wanga.
Magwanga, who served as the MP for Kasipul Kabondo for five years and later Kasipul for another ten years, said he could not allow his good Curriculum Vitae (CV) to be tarnished by a few individuals at the County Government due to poor leadership.
“I served as a Member of Parliament for ten good years before resigning from the County DG position, and the records I left there are incredible,” said Magwanga.
According to Magwanga, during their campaigns with the former ODM party leader Raila Odinga, they made several promises to the people of Homa Bay; however, he realised that their implementation was not done transparently.
“During the campaigns together with Wanga, we had a manifesto which is the contract we signed with the voters, and after realising it was not being implemented properly, I decided to leave,” he said.
“We promised our people clean drinking water, good roads, sufficient drugs in hospitals, money for our women, food for our vulnerable children, proper medication, and payment for contractors, all to be done transparently, but I saw these were not being achieved,” he added.
Magwanga contested the 2017 Homa Bay Governor position against former County CEO Cyprian Awiti.
Awiti was declared the winner by the Supreme Court in 2019 after the High Court and the Court of Appeal nullified Awiti’s re-election.
“In Homa Bay County, I am one of the senior politicians, having served from 2007 to 2017 as an MP before contesting for the top county seat in the 2017 general elections, a decision that was ultimately decided by the Supreme Court,” he said.
Why I am the best for Homa Bay
The former Kasipul MP was regarded as one of the best-performing Members of Parliament for his transparent management of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), leading the region in service delivery and pioneering the purchase of school buses using CDF.
Furthermore, Magwanga said he increased the number of hospitals from 13 to 45, reduced mud classrooms from 600 to 20, and improved secondary school performance in the constituency.
Magwanga stated he chose to run for Governor to replicate his achievements in Kasipul and Kabondo Kasipul for all residents of Homa Bay, and he is eager to take up the mantle.
He reflected that during his ten years as an MP, he heavily invested in local infrastructure, including electricity connections, which he increased from 10 percent coverage to 86.4 percent.
“The experience and development record I left in Kasipul speaks for itself and puts me in a good position to lead and develop the county. While serving as the Kabondo Kasipul MP, I was rated as the third-best legislator for transparent CDF management out of 210, and in Kasipul, I was ranked first out of 290 constituencies. After all this, I understand what government funds can do for our people. The small Ksh77 million I received was spent wisely, and I have never been accused of misappropriation,” he said.
He criticised some politicians seeking leadership positions, claiming they pursue power not to help citizens but to “eat.”
Support from MCAs
Magwanga already has backing from several Members of the County Assembly in his bid for the county’s top seat.
Supporting him are Jeff Ongoro of Kanyaluo Ward, who was removed from the Budget Committee after disagreements with the house leadership; Tom Adinda of Kendu Bay Town; Victor Okoth of Kaksingri West; Vickins Bondo of West Kasipul; Apopo Lentana of Kanyadoto; Milka Oron; Pauline Oyoo; and Dan Ogada, all specially elected.
On Friday, June 26, 2026, the rebel MCAs gave Wanga’s government a seven-day notice to explain how they have used county resources since their election, focusing on ward-based and flagship projects.
They threatened to involve the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, the Auditor General, the Senate, and other independent agencies to investigate what they called “misuse of public funds.”
Ongoro pointed out that the Ksh500 million Riwa Industrial Park, shared equally between the national and county governments at Ksh250 million each, was only 37 percent complete despite all funds being disbursed.
“We allocated these funds in the 2023/2024 financial year and were the first county to start construction, which has since stalled. Other counties have completed similar projects; where is our money?” they demanded.
Ongoro also mentioned the stalled Omboga Hospital theatre, allocated Ksh15 million, and the Maternity and Newborn Wing at Got Kojowi in Ndhiwa, which remains unfinished.
“Let the Governor come out and tell the people of Homa Bay where their money is and why most facilities have stalled, as well as the status of ward-based projects,” he said.
Despite these issues, the MCAs unanimously agreed to support Magwanga’s bid for the governorship.
