Nyamira County governor aspirant Dr Matunda Nyanchama at ground zero addressing residents of Boisanga location North Mugirango, Nyamira County in a campaign event two days before end of official campaign period.
By: Nicholas Otuoma
[wpsocialite]
Nyamira County governor aspirant Dr Matunda Nyanchama addressing residents of Boisanga location on Thursday just two days before end of official campaigns. Dr Matunda is among the leading contenders of the Nyamira governor seat in the 4th March general election.
Matunda emerged tops among the governor aspirants in the just concluded Nyamira county debates held at Sironga girls. His masterly of ideas, exposure and experience in innovation and management has endeared him well to the electorate.
“Dr Matunda is the best in the race, he offers the county an opportunity for a morden manager, with exposure and experience trending globally. He is a complete departure from more of the same and such is what indeed the county needs” Joshua Obegi medical laboratory technologists said
“I travelled all the way from Nairobi to cast my vote for Raila and Dr Matunda, I am convieced he is the best man for the job, Mzee Nyagarama has tried his best, he has served the community and we should thank him, i doubt if he has what it takes to manage a county like Nyamira, the county is bigger than a tea factory” Osano Moseti a primary school teacher in Kitutu Masaba explained.
Dr Matunda, a university of Nairobi Electrical Engineering graduate and PhD in Computer Science from the prestigious Western Ontario University in Canada, is well known name in and outside the county owing to the many development initiatives he is associated with.
His experience cuts across both public and private sector; the corporate experience is the most coloured with stints at the top consulting services firm Ernst and Young (one of the Big Four), and global computer giant IBM where he served in various senior positions.
The various corporate assignments at senior management positions included responsibility over several personnel, turnover, profit margins and client servicing; such experience will be critical in the efficient management of county resources. Motivating county government staff for efficient delivery of service to the public is a core competence of Dr Matunda.
Matunda recognizes that education and training are key to county development; he quit his top corporate job to go into academia and private ICT consulting; he started Nsemia Inc a publishing company that identifies and gives opportunity to young talent with interest in publishing.
‘’The situation of our education system and the large number of dropouts is wanting. The need for technical and vocational training has never been higher. In this respect we need a large number of village polytechnics and, a good number of middle-level colleges to complement university training that is now established and growingâ€. Dr Matunda added.
He talks passionately of the need to create and nurture entrepreneurial culture among the youth, making business education crucial.
He is involved in community mobilizing and charity; he has helped students from the Nyamira County to pursue further education abroad; in Canada and America he is a house hold name. He served as the founding president of the Kenyan Community Abroad (KCA) for over four years.
Matunda’s keen interest in his community was motivated by his own experience, born and raised up in a humble family; he understands the challenges of poor farmers and promises to revitalize the sector, his father the late Meshack Nyanchama Moirongo was among the few pioneers of education and small scale farming in Nyamira.
Matunda has undertaken many mentorship initiatives in the county; he visits schools regularly as a motivational speaker to both students and teachers.
He has helped built two orphanages in the county and a local computer training college that offers training at subsidized rates.
He has offered pro bono management advice to many local women groups and various micro enterprises in the area.
As the founding president of the Kenya Community Abroad; many in the county think that he has an established international network to lobby for investments to the county.
“What we need in the county are investors who can harness our local resources to create value for the farmers; we can blend our teal locally, we can process locally produced fruits-banana, avocadoes, lunguats, Pineapples, etc into packaged drinks.†adds Dr Matunda.
He urges residents of Nyamira to be prepared to be investors as well. His plans include ensuring local participation in all ventures in the county.
In agriculture and unique opportunities for growth of Nyamira, Dr Matunda is optimistic that the County can supply eggs to the rest of Nyanza, has capacity to produce enough milk for processing in the county; can produce cut flower, attract tourists and all within the confines of fair trade where production and processing is done sustainably to preserve eco system
‘’We can harvest green energy locally imagine having wind mills in all windy hills; smart grid to supply local communities and even feed the national grid’’
The situation of our healthcare is wanting; we need operational health centres, not just buildings poorly stocked with essential medicine. He promises to work with all stakeholders to turn around Nyamira in the three years.
Listening to Dr Matunda one gets to understand his passion; the logic and desire to help his people. Of clan politics, Matunda asks “are the kids denied opportunity to pursue further studies not ours? Why do protect only one individual as “ours†what of those from the same clan who drop out of school, dying due simple ailments like malaria? Are they not ours?â€
Regarding national leadership, Dr Matunda urges the people of Nyamira to vote in people that would deal with impunity.
Matunda had a very clean campaign, he avoided mudslinging his competitors and voter buying a culture that is rampant in the area.
Leave a Reply