Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka has officially declared his intention to contest the Kisii County gubernatorial seat in the upcoming 2027 general elections, setting the stage for a political showdown with incumbent Governor Simba Arati.
Speaking on a local radio station on Tuesday, the vocal senator affirmed his readiness to vie for the top county job, dismissing any claims of political posturing.
“I am behaving responsibly, without being petty. When the time comes, I will run for governor,” Onyonka said, emphasizing that his current criticisms are part of his constitutional oversight role.
Senator Onyonka has recently ramped up scrutiny of the Kisii County government, particularly regarding its handling of the 2022/2023 budget expenditure. He has demanded a comprehensive breakdown from Governor Arati, questioning transparency in resource allocation.
“I am oversighting the county government of Kisii without fear or favour. I’m not out to slander Governor Arati—I will only speak about his performance, as well as that of our Woman Representative and MCAs,” Onyonka asserted.
The rivalry between the two leaders began shortly after the 2022 general elections, when Governor Arati initiated a mass sacking of ghost workers—a move Onyonka claimed unfairly targeted members of his clan, deepening ethnic and political fault lines in the county.
The senator also dismissed allegations that he leveraged Arati’s popularity to win his Senate seat in 2022.
“When we ran out of campaign funds in 2022, former Interior CS Fred Matiang’i came in to support us. I did not ride on Arati to get elected,” Onyonka said.
He insisted that he campaigned independently and earned his victory through grassroots mobilization.
