Former police spokesman Charles Owino exits Siaya governor race

Former police spokesperson Charles Owino has dropped out of the race for Siaya County governor where he was set to deputise ex-Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo at the August polls.

According to reports, Owino is set to make a return to the National Police Service (NPS), which has since reportedly claimed that he did not officially resign to pursue an elective seat.

Subsequent reports have since claimed that Gumbo, who was seeking the seat on a UDM ticket, has since picked the party’s Secretary General David Ohito as his new running mate after the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) had given a 48-hour deadline for Owino’s replacement to be named.

Owino had initially wanted to seek out Siaya’s top seat himself under the Raila Odinga-led ODM party, before later decamping to UDM and announcing that had shelved his own aspirations to deputise Gumbo.

According to Owino, calls to abandon his bid in favour of another candidate informed his decision to exit ODM despite having already paid nomination fees at the time.

Gumbo and Owino were set to lock horns with Siaya Senator James Orengo, who is looking to replace incumbent Governor Cornel Rasanga, and his running mate William Oduol at the polls.