Most deputy governors who vied in August 9, 2022 elections have been sent packing. However, some of them managed to convince the electorates to give them a chance to serve them for the next five years.
Kenyans.co.ke takes a look at the deputy governors who successfully won their gubernatorial bids during the 2022 elections.
Wesley Rotich
Wesley Rotich won the Elgeyo/Marakwet gubernatorial race after whitewashing his main competitor Anthony Chelimo by more than 100,000 votes.
Rotich who was contesting on an United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket garnered 147,705 votes while Chelimo registered 11,759 votes.
He served under the outgoing Elgeyo/Marakwet governor Alex Tolgos from 2013 to 2022 as the deputy governor of the vast county.
Speaking after receiving his certificate from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) returning officer, Rotich thanked the people of Elgeyo/Marakwet for believing in him and promised to transform their lives.
“I want to thank God for granting me this opportunity to serve for the next five years as the governor of Elgeyo/Marakwet County. I also want to thank the great people of Elgeyo/Marakwet. It has been a bumpy ride since the time I started this process.
“I want to promise them that I will never betray them. I will ensure that I transform the lives of our people in all endeavors,” stated Rotich.
Tolgos, a diehard supporter of Azimio One Kenya Coalition presidential candidate Raila Odinga failed in his senatorial bid after getting 20,648 votes.
He was beaten by the incumbent Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen who garnered 141,091 votes.
Fatuma Achani
Fatuma Achani overcame a male dominated field including the likes of Hamadi Boga and Lung'anzi Chai to become the first female governor-elect of Kwale County.
Boga and Chai vied on Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and the Pamoja African Alliance (PAA) tickets respectively.
Achani who has previously served as the Member of County Assembly (MCA) was handed a direct ticket by the UDA party.
The soft spoken lawyer garnered 59,674 votes while Chai and Boga got 47,301 and 53,972 votes respectively. According to IEBC, Kwale County had a total of 328,316 registered voters spread across the four constituencies of Msambweni, Matuga, Lunga Lunga and Kinano Kinango.
