Who will ever rock Mig like Governor Zak?
By Nicholas Olambo
Politics is a dirty game they say and so is Kenyan politics. It’s crowded by dirty businessmen, former jailbirds, rogue preachers, scandalous musicians, drug dealers, slay queens and rogue lawyers. Controversial Migori Governor Zachary Okoth Obado rose fast from a high school teacher to representing farmers in Sony Sugar company to becoming the chairman of Kenya Sugar Board. That’s where Zak made some money to boost his goon persona and ego to represent his people in political leadership.
He did it Migori way, bad, raw and violent but most importantly against all odds. He won his first term as governor through Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and by beating ODM candidate Oyugi Akong’o. ODM is the loudest and most popular party in this part of the world but when Zak is rocking he means business. He thrashed Baba’s party. He is tough and bad in equal measures, thriving in the violent Migori politics is not an easy task. This is the same place where someone threw shoes at the president. Obado does it with a style his own, rugged. You can’t take a majestic stroll in his home tuff.
He has over the time been rumoured to be enjoying close ties with DP William Ruto. Ruto’s is Raila’s sworn enemy and if you come from this part of the world, association with Raila’s opponents can cost you your seat and the people support. That doesn’t exist in Zak’s mind. He still managed to force his way into ODM and won the ODM gubernatorial ticket the best way he knows how. Those nominations were shambolic and seriously marred with violence. ODM candidate in 2013 kept off the 2017 polls, he was afraid of the bad guy Zak. Hon Ochilo Ayacko was not really an ‘ODM guy’ but a loose sympathizer with some political weight who was in the cold and chose to join a popular party in the region after Oyugi kept off.
But what was his journey to winning the ODM ticket and his re-election like? He forcefully built the ODM Party an office in his county and violently stopped the ODM top brass from launching their own office. Sources close to the controversial governor reveal that he survives in Baba’s party with violence because he is from Mama Ida’s clan. Who else would kick Raila’s poster child and yap boy out of town? With flashing machetes and gun shots and in broad daylight, Obado kicked Mombasa governor Hassan Joho out of Migori. It was bad, one of Joho’s security details survived with a gun shot.
Joho and other ODM leaders who are indeed some of the best brains kenya can brag of were met with serious violence and stopped from accessing the venue where they would address the people and launch the ODM office. Kisumu Governor Prof. Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o, the bearded sage saved his life under a broken table. Senior counsel James Orengo was in the arms of his body guards. Suna East Mp Mohamed Junet and other influential politicians from the region who had come to grace the event in Migori town had to address the media from some interior village. The loud Junet was shivering under a tree, it was bad in town. Joho and the crew were struggling to get their way out of Migori. Zak’s story was that those guy were in town without his knowledge, they had to feel the wrath of the mayor.
He is the only sitting governor who is prominently featuring in the murder case of his alleged late mistress Sharon Otieno. He spent 34 days in remand prison over the same and the case is still pending in court. During the same time, he was starring in Sharon’s murder case it also emerged that he was having an affair with his wife’s sister, which he admitted.
He has never been a member of parliament, senator or MCA but with his short stint in politics, Zak has offshore accounts with billions. He is owning close to everything in Migori town. He is a bad and tight addict, syphoning county funds can’t surprise anyone. Baba can talk about other bad boys like Sonko, Waititu but not the ones in his team. Hon. Simba Arati is a rugged fellow, Aladwa is a daring goon. One wonders what he will become after the expiry of his second and final term and if his successor will make headlines like he does. He has put Migori in the headline for all the wrong reasons.
