Clan wars rock Hustler nation in Kisii

United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidates in Kisii county are accusing each other of backing rivals ahead of the August 2022 polls. UDA Nyaribari Chache candidate Zaheer Jhanda kick started the storm, accusing the party's gubernatorial candidate Ezekiel Machogu of isolating him because he does not belong to his Boguche clan. Jhanda claims Mr Machogu is ganging up with his Boguche clansmen, who include Azimio la Umoja parliamentary candidate Richard Tong'i and Samuel Apoko, to frustrate his chances of clinching the constituency’s seat in the August 2022 polls. "I am not one who practises clannism. Machogu, whom I’m in the same party with, goes behind my back and questions Nyaribari residents why they love me so much. He then goes on to tell them to vote for leaders from the Boguche clan, who are Richard Tong'i and Samuel Apoko," Mr Jhanda claimed. Although Mr Machogu is not from Nyaribari Chache, he belongs to the Boguche clan, which runs from Nyaribari Chache all the way to Nyaribari Masaba. The reason is that the former Nyaribari constituency, when it was split to create Chache and Masaba, also split all its clans in the two new constituencies. Mr Jhanda says he doesn't wish to be associated with any clan. Boguche is one of the smaller clans in both Nyaribari Masaba and Nyaribari Chache that has produced some of the top leaders in Kisii who have served in key government positions for a long time. It is home to prominent politicians and the crème of academia in Kisii, including Prof Sam Ongeri, the incumbent senator. "Kenya is a democracy and people have the freedom to say whatever they want," said Mr Machogu in response to Mr Jhanda’s remarks. The feud between Mr Machogu and the Nyaribari Chache UDA candidate will no doubt complicate things for the seasoned former provincial administrator-turned-politician to clinch the Kisii County governor’s seat. Mr Machogu, soft-spoken and eschewing controversy, had been leading what initially was a mistakenly organised UDA team until the claims of clannism broke out. Clan politics is an emotive issue in Kisii, and particularly in the two constituencies of Nyaribari Chache and Nyaribari Masaba. In the past, politics evolved around the majority clan, which is loosely christened “Kamba Nane”. This is a conglomeration of eight sub-clans bound together to form one formidable unit that usually fights to preserve the leadership among themselves against those known as “Abako” (in-laws).