By KPC Special Correspondent
Kisii Governor, Simba Arati, has recently triggered a new political debate in Gusii after he claimed that his association with President William Ruto will give the people of the region the much needed development.
Arati declared last year that he had switched gears to support the broad-based government of Ruto, this being an opportunity for the Abagusii to “milk the cow until it drops blood” in the name of development.
In Kenya, political metaphors morph into names, and names become identity, and this why, perhaps, Arati who rose to the gubernatorial seat after his supporters called him Etaya (the lamp) who promised to light a new path for the county is now being called Nyamokami (one who milks).
President Ruto himself is no stranger to this tradition, having embraced “Hustler” while also enduring less flattering monikers such as “Kasongo.”
During Ruto’s recent visit to Kisii, Arati, for the umpteenth time, publicly framed his cooperation with the national government as an act of strategic opportunism rather than political surrender.
“My people, they said Simba is a milker. I’m ready to milk this cow. Do you allow me to milk it? I will milk it to the last drop. For now, I’m in the broad-based government,” Arati told a cheering crowd.
He went further, drawing laughter and discomfort in equal measure.
“When you have a cow that is not about to calf and your neighbour’s is giving two cups of milk, you milk that one. So you can’t tell me to stay away when development is happening in other parts of the country.”
Even so, the governor clarified that the imagery was not meant to demean the president.
“When I say that we need to milk the cow, it doesn’t mean that I have called our president a cow. He is the president of our country,” he said.
In local parlance, Nyamokami is either a compliment or criticism, the former being a sign of a leader willing to be practical in a political environment where access to power often determines the flow of resources, and the latter meaning someone easily swayed for the purposes of benefitting from a situation.
“The constitution requires that the county government works with the national government. My allocation is Sh1.9 billion. The president, courtesy of his office, is giving us Sh1.9 billion for only the stadium, Nyambera Market and Nyanchwa roads,” he said in Nairobi last year in the presence of departed ODM leader Raila Odinga.
But critics argue that despite the governor’s public embrace of the Ruto administration, there are few visible development projects that can be directly linked to the new political alliance.
The President was in Kisii on recently, where he disbursed millions of shillings to young people from the region under the NYOTA programme, although to some critics, such frequent visits were aimed at edging out Dr Fred Matiang’I who hails from the area and is eyeing the presidency in 2027.
The President also announced the modernization of Gusii stadium, construction of Suneka Airstrip, opening of roads and laid a foundation stone for the new Nyambera Market.
Some locals view Arati’s closeness to President Ruto as a calculated move aimed at weakening the influence of Dr Matiang’i, who is widely seen as a potential presidential contender and a key political figure from the region.
In this reading, Nyamokami is about positioning Kisii firmly within the president’s orbit at a time when national alliances are being redrawn.
His pronouncements have triggered debates among the locals who view his relationship with the president as a political strategy aimed at curtailing the presidential ambitions of former Interior CS, Dr Fred Matiang’i.
Arati has not directly addressed these suspicions, but his language suggests an awareness of political judgment ahead.
“After two years in the broad-based government, people will ask me what I brought for them. So, your excellency, we will work together,” he said, acknowledging that his gamble will ultimately be measured by results.
Last year, Arati sought to project himself as a bridge-builder, praising former Prime Minister Raila Odinga for choosing dialogue during a period of national unrest.
“People have bitterness in this country, but I thank Baba for giving peace a chance when there was instability,” Arati said.