Nairobi — Local Government Minister Musikari Kombo lost to ODM's Alfred Sambu in a hotly contested battle for the Webuye seat.

Kombo received 18,574 to Sambu's 22, 574 votes.

Over the years, Local Government minister, Kombo, has styled himself as a moderate politician.

He compromises and strikes deals not only for political survival but also to remain relevant politically.

That is why he decided to put aside his political ambitions to support President Kibaki.

He played a big role in the Kibaki re-election bid, especially in Western Kenya.

As one of the candidates who compromised their chances of running for the top seat, Kombo became a central figure in the Party of National Unity (PNU) as it crafted together strategy that sought to accommodate all the political interests and parties that include his very own Ford-Kenya.

However, while this strategy was working out well for the Ford-Kenya chairman, his relationship with Dr Mukhisa Kituyi was ebbing away, forcing the latter to decamp to New Ford-Kenya, an offshoot of the original Ford-Kenya.

Though he has spent time selling the PNU gospel in Western Province and other parts of the country, a significant portion of his energies have been directed towards the war between Kituyi and him.

The political rivalry between the two intensified in the run-up to the elections proper, with the two vowing to campaign against each other.

The climax of this rivalry was during the President's tour of Western Kenya when supporters of the two leaders heckled each other in what turned out to be a blip in efforts by the Head of State to seek for votes.

At the centre of the quarrel are claims that each has sponsored opponents against the other, although they both professed to be supporting the PNU candidate.

A website created to drum up support for Kombo's presidential ambitions indicate that the former MP for Webuye was born on March 13, 1944, in Bungoma District. He is a Catholic.

He joined Misikhu Primary School for his elementary education, and proceeded to Rakwaro Primary School, finally moving to Mumias where he completed his primary education. He then joined Nyeri High School for his secondary education.

Poor governance

Kombo did his undergraduate studies at the University of Nairobi, majoring in Economics.

He was first elected into Parliament in 1992 and has served in the Kenyan Government as Assistant minister for Planning, Minister for Regional Development and Minister for Local Government under the Government of National Unity.

Kombo took over the Local Government Ministry in late 2003. It was one of the most mismanaged ministries, with many scandals including illegal land allocation, physical fighting of councillors and selling of road reserves to well-connected individuals. Though he claims to have addressed the ills that hindered efficient delivery of services, questions are still being asked about the poor levels of governance and the failure to deliver on key promises such as roads, water and health facilities that fall under the ministry.

His preoccupation with political survival in Western Kenya has in most cases cast a shadow on his performance as a minister.

Kombo's story is, however, not complete without the mention of a peculiar case in 1994 when he lost a petition and was barred from contesting the subsequent by-election. Witnesses testified about his alleged use of witchcraft during campaigns.