They say when God gives you another chance, do not repeat old mistakes. This statement is so true when it comes to the story of Migori governor Okoth Obado.
Hated by his ODM Party, and facing a serious double murder case in court, Obado is on a downward trajectory that no one would dare associate with him. But in your darkest hour, when all have given up on you, that’s when help comes your way.
And the Migori County chief, who is also being investigated by the EACC for the loss of more than sh 2.5 billion from the county coffers has got a friend from a very unlikely source. The Deputy President William Ruto.
Hated by almost all luos mainly because of his differences with Baba Raila Odinga, perhaps Ruto has seen that this is the right time to get a key point man in Nyanza, and there is no one better than Obado.
Ruto will be in Migori to launch a series of road projects in his debut visit to Migori and the neighbouring Homa Bay county.
“We are set to receive the DP on Monday as he embarks on a development tour of the county,” Obado’s director of communications Nicholas Anyuor said in a statement.
The visit comes barely a month after the Senate by-election. Ruto was said to be fronting the Federal Party of Kenya’s Eddy Oketch who came second to ODM’s Ochillo Ayacko.
Obado asked his supporters to vote for Oketch. The election took place when he was away in custody over the murder of his girlfriend Sharon Otieno and her unborn baby.
He is out on Sh5 million cash bail. The governor has urged Migori residents to turn put in large numbers to welcome the deputy president.
This will be the second time he will be appearing at a public rally after his release. Last Wednesday, the county boss held rallies at Nyabisawa and Masara centers to prepare the ground ahead of Ruto’s visit.
Charged political statements are likely to play out at during Monday’s visit. Ruto has on numerous occasions since the March 9 handshake claimed that he was chased away from the ODM. He publicly warned Raila to forget the idea of following him to Jubilee to “chase him from the party” under the guise of the handshake.
Before his detention, Obado was at loggerheads with the Orange party after he opposed the party’s move to hand Ayacko a direct ticket. He vowed to campaign against the Orange party, a move that angered the luminaries when he threw his weight behind Eddy’s quest.
Speaking separately, Kuria East MP Marwa Kitayama defended the DP’s forays in Migori county maintaining that he is marketing the government development agenda.
“The DP’s visit to Migori county is purely for development not 2022 politics. He is on record that politicians should shun the 2022 talk and deliver on the promised they made to the people,” he said.
Kitayama said there is nothing strange in the DP visiting Migori as he is serving all Kenyans regardless of their political affiliations.
Do you think Ruto will save Obado from Sharon’s murder case?