In 2017, during the hotly contested elections for Bungoma county governor, a not-so-unheard of name surfaced as a key cog in the fight for power. When the winner of that particular battle, Gov. Wycliffe Wafula Wangamati named his inaugural committee of executives to help him deliver his vision, it came as no surprise that Collins Mukhongo made the list as CEC roads, infrastructure and public works.
Many thought he’d falter. After all, you can’t be both a good politician and a good manager so goes the dogma. But Collins is proving to be the mythical damsel who is a lady in the streets and a beast in the boardroom. And as one seasoned sitting member of parliament was recently heard saying: “If Mukhongo comes for any of us, that person is finished!” Here, a short biography of the hottest property in Bungoma politics: Collins Mukhongo.
Biography family and facts
Collins Mukhongo hails from Sangalo area in Kanduyi constituency, Bungoma county. His genealogy reveals a prominent family known for its prowess in khunyanya bitabu. This son of the Omukobolo clan went from a village school straight into an engineering class those days when University of Nairobi was The university. His sharp wit is evident when you interact with him. It could also be the reason for a not so likebale trait.
Who is Collins Mukhongo?
The engineer is not the tallest of persons, but is refreshingly unaffiliated by the proverbial ‘short man syndrome’. What’s easy to pick about him is that he thinks in straight lines. This is to say that he’s decisive and his “no” means no. Unwavering once he has made up his mind on something. I heard that’s this is a trait common among brilliant fellows. However, it can at times come across as rude.
Education
Mr. Mukhongo’s alma ata is Kibabi High and University of Nairobi. The former school that is a conveyor belt of serious Mulembe talent. At the university, he became an electrical engineer and later a manager when he completed his MBA.
Wife and family life
Two times lucky with marriage. Yes, ladies Collins Mukhongo is happily married . He is blessed with a beautiful wife, Mrs Immaculate Mukhongo, a young family of two with the youngest Mukhongo-let being just a few months old.
His politics
Question, Is the Bungoma county executive member for roads and infrastructure a political novice? Yes, if it matters that he has never been on the ballot as a candidate. Though he was a staunch New Ford Kenya operative during Omwami Eugene Wamalwa’s times as the head honcho of the now defunct party, anyone who understands hard politics will know that it is a different animal alltogether. Nonetheless, even if such yardsticks can be entirely misleading, it witout doubt that it took loads of political acumen and mobilization skills for Governor Wangamati to dethrone Governor Ken Lusaka; And it’s no secret that his bakoki Engineer Mukhongo was at the heart of it all.
Gleaming from the governor’s campaign it is safe to say that the politics of Collins Mukhongo is modern: well orchestrated propaganda on the ground; tech savvy embracing social media marketing strategies such as the deployment of influencers; strategic in hitting hard key population areas; few but strong and high value transient partnerships; and a bit of the rough when needed.
Collin’s run for Kanduyi Member of Parliament
In the runup to the 2022 general elections, Collins Mukhongo indicated his desire to run for the Kanduyi parliamentary seat using a UDA ticket. Indeed alongside Wangamati’s deputy, Prof. Ngome, and a host of Bungoma County Members of Assembly Collins Mukhongo was unveiled by the deputy president at his Karen office.
However, with shift in Western Kenya’s political matrix with the emergence of DAP-K (Devolution Action Party – Kenya), rumour has it that Collins Mukhongo has had a change of heart and is angling to join his boss Wangamati in finding a new political home in DAP-K.
Social life
Collins is an avid Manchester United fan. It can be said that his red devil-ness shows a bit in his Sir Alex Furgeson like execution of road paving projects through out Bungoma county. At one point, every village, every nook and cranny of Bungoma county had become accustomed to the din of excavators, graders and tippers as they zipped around paving and creating roads where there had been only footpaths. What about the 1.4 billion 6.5Km dual carriage way from Musikoma to Kanduyi? lets not even get started on that