Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya is a man on a mission, a mission to take over from President Uhuru Kenyatta as the Country’s Commander in Chief of the Defence Forces.
The two time County Chief will however not find the going easy and despite having a great development record back at his Kakamega backyard, a stab at the Presidency will surely get him at loggerheads with a number of politicians like Raila Odinga who is also his Party boss.
Should Raila go for the Presidency, is Oparanya willing to square it off with him for the ODM Party’s ticket?
Will ODM give Oparanya all the required support?
Well, ODM secretary general Edwin Sifuna has welcomed Oparanya’s interest in the presidential ticket, saying the party espouses internal democracy.
“We’re a democratic party. Anybody who wants to run for president is free to seek the party ticket when the right time comes. ODM has a robust mechanism to pick its presidential candidate,” he said.
Sifuna sought to allay fears that its top brass could block Oparanya’s bid for the ticket. He maintained that the party had a history of holding primaries in the presidential ticket race.
“This is not the first time people are expressing their intention to get the ODM party ticket. That has happened before,” he said.
A number of MPs have also said they would back Oparanya in his race to State House.
Navakholo MP Emmanuel Wangwe of Jubilee Party said Oparanya is “ripe and competent to be President”.
“We shall give Oparanya maximum support in 2022. He is fit and has the necessary experience and track record,” he said.
Wangwe said the second-term governor should now focus on building alliances outside his Western Kenya backyard to enhance his political bargaining power.
“What Oparanya should do is sit at the negotiating table. Bring together other leaders from the region as well … If Oparanya does not make it to State House, he should lead Western Kenya into the next government.”