WATCH THE EYE LEVEL: The Ochillo Ayacko (L) and Governor Okoth Obado (R) handshake as ODM leader Raila Odinga (C) looks on

While attending the burial ceremony of the late B.O.O, I saw Governor Okoth Obado grudgingly shake hands with his nemesis : Ochilo Ayacko.

For once, I felt sympathy for the man nicknamed “Sirkal Matiyo”, a guy who has won three straight electoral contests.
To begin, he won the 2013 governor elections, the 2017 ODM nominations and the following August 8 general elections, but despite these three authoritative triple victories Obado still appears to be an underdog against his peers and rivals.

He remains the most abused, undermined, disrespected and dishonored governor in the country even local ODM officials and bloggers have found a punching bag in him.

First of all, he built a tidy county party headquarters that was rejected and to rub pepper into sore wounds he was never allowed to nominate anybody in the county assembly despite winning the ODM ticket.

To cut off an image of a lame duck governor, Suna East MP Junet Mohammed and Ayacko run him roughshod in the nomination list with his attempts to seek redress in court falling flat after ODM leader Raila Odinga publically told him to pull down the case.

As a governor who has not standing with his party, his attempts to install a controversial ODM officials led by Festus Mapesa has remained unrecognized, not only by the Orange House, but also local journalists.

His long running political beef with Junet, who has been skipping any function he attends and other local leaders who treat him coldly is enough evidence of a beleaguered governor.

The above tribulations shows why the governor supporters have been throwing cold water at the conty handshake, on that I support them fully.

In all handshakes, from Kim Jong-un of North Korea, Moon Jae-in of South Korea, USA Donald Trump, Israel and Palestine, or even Raila and President Uhuru Kenyatta, a structured format was format.

This was not the case in the Kanyimach handshake.

That is why I join the governor supporters, personal espouse notwithstanding, to give the handshake a cold shoulder.

(The writer is a political activists who comments on political and social issues)