Prof Nyong’o as he appears on the cover of his recently unveiled manifesto
It is the dream of every Kisumu resident to see their County bocoming prosperous, secure and a better place to live in. It is even a bigger dream to see at the helm of County government affairs, a man who puts his people first and who will go extra mile to improve their standards of living. That man is Prof Anyang Nyong’o, and I will tell you why.
Professional Background
As a political economist, Prof Nyong’o understands the dynamics of holding a political office. The Office of the Governor is political and therefore should not be run like a private entity, unilaterally like an Mpesa kiosk. As an economist he studied and understood what ails Kisumu as a county; and has prepared a feasible plan to revamp the affairs of Kisumu County to make it what every resident desires it to be. Prof Nyong’o is a brilliant planner with a clear blueprint on how to build a great Commonwealth for everyone.
He’s a strong negotiator, a no nonsense professor, incorruptible with zero tolerance to corruption, a nationalist who can’t be intimidated by MCAs and a believer in hard work and performance- a culture that is lacking in KISUMU County government today
Track record in politics and other public offices
Prof Nyong’o’s quest for a better Kenya for all started way back when he was still a student and eventually earned him an exile into foreign land when the then government wanted to silence him for championing human rights, democracy and equitable allocation of national resources in order to realize substantial development.
His record at the Ministry of Planning and National Development is exemplary. All his successors have really struggled to match this record. As the Minister he developed and played a key role in the implementation of the PRSP, Poverty Reduction Strategy for wealth and employment creation which NARC government used as a development blueprint. This paper is the ideas behind Economic Stimulus Programs we see in every corner of Kenya.
Vision 2030 was also his brainchild, a brilliant blueprint that is due to move Kenya to a middle income economy by the year 2030 although anti-development forces have sabotaged and frustrated implementation of this great vision/paper.
Although Health ministry is always a challenging one to run due to various factors, Prof Nyong’o performed exceptionally above expectations when he was appointed the minister for medical services in 2008. He reformed KEMSA from being an agency to AUTHORITY independent from political interference and getting funding directly from the treasury.
He also transformed NHIF from a Hospital Fund into Nation Health Insurance Fund to provide universal healthcare to Kenyans. Together with Charity Ngilu in 2004, they initiated a process to provide Kenyans with universal health coverage. Prof Nyong’o seconded a bill (to provide universal health cover to Kenyans) in parliament which passed through but Kibaki declined to sign it into law.
Several years later he thought it wise to revisit this issue when he became the minister for Medical Services with a different strategy this time round using existing legal instrument of NHIF. Against resistance from Trade Unionists and employers like FKE he insisted on reforming NHIF to cover both outpatient in patient and today poor woman can afford smiles on their faces as they are able to deliver in BIG HOSPITALS that were reserved only for the rich thanks to Prof Nyong’o’s efforts.
His reign as a Member of Parliament for Kisumu Rural saw several schools constructed and a lot more expanded and upgraded. Through his connections in the academia, he awarded many scholarships to needy students to study at various universities locally and abroad. Kisumu has the potential to compete with modern cities around the globe if we get a good governor to steer us into success. Prof Hon Peter Anyang Nyongo can make Kisumu Great again. THE REAL DEAL
Leave a Reply