Following the death of Nyamira Governor John Nyagarama in 2020, his deputy, Amos Nyaribo, was sworn in as the new governor.
18 months later, he was re-elected for a second term under his United Progressive Alliance party, trouncing 11 aspirants to win Nyamira county’s top job.
His swearing-in event was attended by the who and who’s in politics, including former devolution Cs Eugine Wamalwa and Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya.
However, since his re-election, Nyaribo’s political journey has been as tumultuous as that of his Meru counterpart, Kawira Mwangaza.
This is his journey as told by WoK:
Background
Amos Kimwomi Nyaribo was born in Magwagwa, North Mugirango constituency. He hails from Nyamira’s Abagirango clan.
Before he entered elective politics, he worked in government corporations and NGOs, where he occupied senior managerial positions.
In 2017, Nyaribo, who holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree, vowed to vie for the Nyamira gubernatorial seat against then Nyamira governor John Nyangarama.
However, at the last moment, he changed his mind and decided to run as Nyagarama’s deputy. Their agreement was that, once they occupied office, they would split their powers and responsibilities on a 50-50 basis.
However, after winning the elections, the two fell off when Nyangarama went against their agreement, especially over the recruitment of ministers and other county chief officers.
The two later reconciled and were on their way to patching things up when Nyagarama succumbed to COVID-19 complications in 2020.
Surviving impeachment
In his early 60s, Nyaribo is known for his intolerance for corruption and has on several occasions raised alarm from within the county.
One of the issues he fell out with his boss was over the recruitment of ghost workers, forcing Nyagarama to fire them.
Needless to say, his strict anti-corruption stance has earned him enemies from within the county’s cabinet.
Matters reached a tipping point when he fired Dr. Timothy Ombati – a County Executive Committee member — over allegations of corruption.
Consequently, a section of County Assembly members vowed to impeach him. They accused him of illegal recruitment of staff, failure to remit statutory dies, and nepotism, among other issues.
The governor survived the impeachment by a whisker when the MCAs failed to attain the two-thirds threshold required to impeach him.
Salary
As governor, Amos Nyaribo earns a monthly gross salary of sh 990 000 according to the latest gazette notice by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission.
He is also entitled to an official government car not exceeding 3,000 cc and free medical cover worth over sh 10 million for himself, his wife, and four children below the age of 25.
Additionally, he is entitled to free life and personal accident insurance, a car loan of sh 10 million, and a mortgage of sh 40 million at an interest rate of 3% per annum.
Other perks include a daily subsistence allowance for foreign and local travels, airtime of up to sh 20 000 per month, an official residence, and an annual leave allowance at the rate of sh 50 000 per annum.
Family
A devout family man, Amos Nyaribo is married to Emily Nyaribo, who made headlines earlier this year when she requested legislators to set up an office and a budget for county first ladies.
According to her, governors’ wives are not ‘flower girls’, as they are expected to do a lot behind the scenes to support the community yet they are under appreciated.
