The Bomet County gubernatorial post was among the most hotly contested positions in last year’s general elections.
One one hand was incumbent governor Isaac Rutto, who was contesting on his Chama Cha Mashinani (CCM). The governor was also a principal in the opposition’s NASA coalition. On the other hand was Joyce Laboso, campaigning on a Jubilee party ticket and a key ally to William Ruto.
Isaac had publicly fought with Deputy President William Ruto over corruption and failed promises in their 2013 manifesto.
As the chair of the Council of Governors, Isaac Rutto had asked for devolving more funds to the counties. His stand led to the now famous ‘Hii Pesa si ya mama yako.’ The insult was from the loud mouthed National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale.
In the runner-up to the election, it became more of a Jubilee-Nasa affair, in fact in one of the pre-election debates, Joyce Laboso said that that Rutto had committed political suicide by joining the NASA bandwagon.
So, the Bomet politics were reduced to party loyalty and not candidates. DP Ruto camped in the small county and vowed to teach the other Rutto a big political lesson that you either tow the line or you’re out.
From outsiders, Isaac was the favorite to clinch the post. He understood how devolution works had demonstrated his willingness to fight for more funds to be devolved. He was one of the best performing governors.
But at the end he lost, Bomet chose Laboso, because Ruto said so. Isaac who had been branded many names ate a humble pie and accepted his fate.
But it is barely one year since the elections and residents are now demanding that their incompetent governor steps aside.
Locals staged protests on Wednesday demanding that she resigns. Laboso has been accused of nepotism and being too slow to act on development projects.
Voting robots in Bomet have woken up and realized that they were better off with Governor @IsaacRutoGov than they are with their imposed Ruto marionette, Joyce Laboso. They are on the streets demonstrating asking Joyce to resign. Its been just a year & the song is Joyce Must go pic.twitter.com/4VrGjX43IO
— Abraham Mutai (@ItsMutai) October 24, 2018
On Monday, seven leaders from the county walked out of President Uhuru’s event in a protest against their governor.
The seven stormed out during the opening of a tuition block at Bomet University College, soon after Governor Joyce Laboso handed the microphone to Deputy President William Ruto.
The lawmakers accused the governor of not involving them in plans for President Kenyatta’s visit and not acknowledging their presence at the college. They claimed she did not invite them to a planning meeting ahead of the function, to draw up a memorandum that would be handed over to the president.
Bomet residents should stop boring us with their boring theatrics and eat their humble pie for four more years.