Nicholas Atudonyang, the West Pokot Deputy Governor has recently been propelled to the public eyes over his 4 years absentia. It has been a matter of public concern across the blogosphere and mainstream media that Atudonyang departed to USA as soon as he took his oath of office.
Like the prodigal son, he has now returned, this time on a mission to take over as West Pokot’s governor. In preparation for the August polls, Atudonyang walked into a shrine dressed in a traditional crown and while seated on a three-legged stool received the blessings of Pokot elders to take on his bullish boss, Prof John Lonyangapuo. This article will take a look into Dr Atudonyang’s life and career.
Age
He was born on 10/3/1981 and is currently aged 41 years old.
Education
The medic studied at Kipsait Primary School then proceeded to Chewoyet High School for secondary education. He pursued an undergraduate degree in medicine and surgery at University of Nairobi and then traveled abroad for a masters in emergency medicine at University of Texas.
Political Career
Atudonyang is a life member of the Kenya African National Union (KANU) party and previously vied for a parliamentary seat in West Pokot. He was however unsuccessful.
Towards 2017, he teamed up with John Lonyangapuo in a bid to unseat then West Pokot governor Simon Kachapin. Interestingly, in May 2017, when Lonyangapuo unveiled Atudonyang as his running mate at a rally held in Pokot South, the latter wasn’t present. However, Lonyangapuo said that the neurosurgeon would be present in a week’s time.
Read Also: Prof. John Lonyangapuo Biography, Age, Education, Family,Political Career and Scandals
Under the KANU ticket, Lonyangapuo and Atudonyang were seen as a dynamic duo, working like clock work. They managed to oust Kachapin in the 2017 polls and built a a political bromance as they steered the West Pokot county government.
In 2018, Nicholas Atudonyang flew to US, a matter which led to anxiety among members of the public. This necessitated a petition to the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission and governor Lonyangapuo was summoned to reveal the whereabouts of his principal assistant.
Lonyangapuo defended the absentia, saying Atudonyang was helping the county in sourcing for medical equipment abroad. While appearing at the Eldoret EACC office, Lonyangapuo took a bullet for Atudonyang, saying he was the one who allowed him to go abroad and that Atudonyang wasn’t using county funds for his stay abroad.
For a second time in 2019, Lonyangapuo took a solid defense of his deputy when he appeared at the Senate Committee on Devolution. He retaliated his previous sentiments.
No More Bravado: Lonyangapuo Breaks Ties With Atudonyang
In June 2020, Lonyangapuo severed ties with his deputy saying that Atudonyang had teamed up with other individuals to weaken his administration. He claimed the DG was blocking award of tenders and employment opportunities for non-locals. The infuriated governor took a U-turn, this time questioning Atudonyang’s absentia and even asked then US president Donald Trump to help in deporting him.
“If possible, Trump should be told to deport him. We thought he had a problem that has kept him in the US but we were wrong,” said Lonyangapuo.
When contacted for his sentiments, Atudonyang said the governor had failed on his promises to the people of West Pokot. He further accused Lonyangapuo of shrugging off his advices pertaining various management issues. Additionally, Nicholas Atudonyang said that the governor was losing popularity among the electorate.
Atudonyang Launches Gubernatorial Bid
Making good his threat, Atudonyang announced that he was coming back to ‘fix issues’ and as soon as he landed in Kenya, he made his presence felt.
With the governor having ditched KANU party, he seized the opportunity and said that he would be vying for the gubernatorial seat on the independence party ticket. Atudonyang has the blessings of Senate majority leader Samuel Poghisio who has also accused Lonyangapuo of mismanagement of the county.
After being coronated as a Pokot spokesperson at a shrine in Baringo, Atudonyang said that his absentia had the approval of the people.
“The reason I have been firmly on the DG seat despite a few days of not being at home is because power belongs to the people and they continued supporting me. That’s why there has been no any motion of impeachment,” he said.
While appearing on Citizen TV, Atudonyang said he had never abdicated any responsibility despite being away for four years. In a live interview with news anchors Victoria Rubadiri and Jeff Koinange, Atudonyang appeared composed despite the hard-hitting questions that came his way. He said he was never on the county payroll taking credit for the ‘good tidings’ he had brought to West Pokot County.
An upbeat Nicholas Atudonyang said that without taking his salary, the money was channeled towards bursaries.
“I’m the DG that has done much more for his or her people than most of other deputy governors. The cost of running my office is presumably the lowest,” he said.
