The first Kisumu Governor; Jack Nyanungo Ranguma has declared his intention to vie again for the Kisumu gubernatorial office in 2027.
Exactly one year to the next General Election, Ranguma has officially declared his intention to seek the county’s top executive seat once again, signaling a political comeback aimed at restoring what he termed a journey of growth and development that was prematurely interrupted in 2017.
Addressing the press, community leaders and residents in Kisumu on Monday, Ranguma outlined his comeback as the beginning of a new dispensation focused on economic revival, infrastructure rehabilitation and prudent financial management.
Reflecting on his exit from office in 2017, Ranguma maintained that his first term was not cut short due to non-performance but rather as a result of political expediency.
He emphasized that despite his defeat, he chose to remain respectful of the incoming administration, granting them two full terms to serve. “For two terms they have served. I will allow the residents to judge for themselves because I will not be a judge,” Ranguma stated.
Mounting a strong case for his return, the former county chief presented a detailed audit of his 2013–2017 administration, highlighting that his team rolled out a total of 1,157 development projects across all seven sub-counties, many of which he needs to return to the office so that he can complete.
Key among these projects, he said was the construction of 522 roads to enhance rural and urban connectivity. In healthcare, his administration built and equipped 95 dispensaries with essential drugs and medical personnel, alongside establishing 68 specialized eye centres.
To catalyze a 24-hour economy, Ranguma stated that his government installed 45 high-mast solar floodlights in major market centres across the county.
On human capital development, the Governor Jack Ranguma Scholarship complemented by county bursaries, funded higher education for 260 high-performing needy students, distributed to over 10,000 learners. His administration also launched an early childhood school feeding program to support young learners.
To combat environmental challenges and water insecurity, the former governor highlighted that his administration drilled and equipped 80 strategic boreholes. Furthermore, his team, he said carried out historic flood control interventions in the Nyando basin through river de-silting and embankment excavation.
Ranguma also placed significant emphasis on his past interventions in the informal sector, particularly targeting youth and Boda Boda operators, where his administration constructed dedicated Boda Boda shades, facilitated the creation of sector-specific Savings and Credit cooperative Societies (SACCOs) and sponsored select operators on an international study exchange program to Rwanda to learn public transport management.
Pointing to the economic environment during his initial term, Ranguma noted, “I want to say that during my first tenure as the Governor of Kisumu, I created millionaires. We created a conducive environment for businesses to thrive and paid contractors and suppliers promptly”.
Positioning himself as a “prudent, tested and proven financial manager,” Ranguma addressed the crucial issue of heavy public debt and fiscal responsibility afflicting the county. He clarified that when he handed over office in 2017, Kisumu’s pending bills stood at Sh800 million, a figure he insisted was fully backed by cash reserves left in the County Treasury.
Kisumu Governor Prof. Peter Anyang` Nyong`o was recently put to task by the Senate over a huge pending bill of Sh.5.4Billion
The former governor expressed concern that several vital projects and access roads initiated during his tenure have since collapsed or fallen into disrepair, contributing to renewed water insecurity and economic stagnation.
Striking a conciliatory political tone toward incumbent Governor Prof. Nyong’o, Ranguma remarked, “I respect Governor Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o; he has done his part and I do not have any ill feeling toward anyone. Politics is a game; you win and lose altogether but we join hands for a common purpose, which is development.”
Closing his speech, Ranguma made a direct appeal to the electorate for their backing in the upcoming election, stating: “I have not come to make wealth but to serve our people; to improve staff welfare through capacity building, training and promotions where possible”.
Jack Nyanungo Ranguma, 70 has a Master of Science degree (International Accounting and Management Information Systems) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Ranguma, also known as JR was the first Governor of Kisumu County elected in 2013. Before entering politics he had worked as an accountant for close to 30 years.
In 2002 he was appointed Commissioner of Income Tax, and later Commissioner of Domestic Taxes, Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), among other portfolios before joining politics.
Ranguma joins a crowded field of gubernatorial contestants who include; Kisumu Senator Prof. Tom Odhiambo Ojienda, Kisumu Central MP Joshua Odongo Oron and Kisumu West MP Rosa Akinyi Buyu among others as Prof. Nyong`o serves his second and final term.
By Mabel Keya – Shikuku
