By Scovian Lillian
Busia County, Kenya: Busia’s Orange Democratic Movement party (ODM) candidate and also former Funyula Member of Parliament Paul Otuoma has won the Busia gubernatorial race after clinching 164,478 votes against Nambale Member of Parliament John Sakwa Bunyasi who got 92,144 votes. Bunyasi was the ANC party candidate.
In his address to the residents after Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission(I.E.B.C) issued him with a certificate, Otuoma promised to better the lives of Busia residents through service delivery. He also said that he would work closely with them to help better the county.
“Thank you for showing democracy through peaceful voting, I promise not to let you down. I am happy that the whole voting exercise was peaceful and you have also patiently waited for the results”, he said.
Otuoma elected former Teso North MP Arthur Odera as his deputy.
Rhoda Auma, a Busia Resident said: “I believe Otwoma will change the face of Busia, he has the interest of common mwananchi at heart, that is why I voted for him. He is also visionary and I don’t think he will tolerate mediocrity. I hope he will sanitize the County and revive it economically. Busia County has potential that must be tapped into fully”.
Okiya Omtatah a rights activist was declared Senator-elect in Busia after garnering 171,681 votes.
He was vying for the National Reconstruction Alliance (NRA) and defeated ODM’s Hillary Itela who garnered 59,276 votes.
Omtatah assured residents that he would work closely with Otuoma while Catherine Omanya the elected Women representative said she believes that a new journey begins for the people of Busia County.
“Thank you, Busia. I am deeply humbled by your immense support and overwhelming show of confidence. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but I am ready and excited to work for you. Thank you for this tremendous honor,” he stated on social media.
Catherine Omanyo was declared the winner of the Women Representative seat for Busia County. She got 129,210 votes against her rival Susan Mange’ni who got 48,197 votes. Mange’ni was vying on a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket.
Busia County is dominantly inhabited by Luhyas followed by the Teso community. Residents believe that a lot needs to be done to better healthcare, economy (most especially because the town lies at the one-stop border of Uganda-Kenya good to boost cross-border trade), infrastructures, and agriculture.
“I hope that the elected leaders will come together and design an effective work strategy to better this County through innovation, boost small businesses through creating an economic environment and empowering youths economically to enhance this region, it needs serious revival”, said Paul Ouma, a Busia resident.
