The former teacher, who clinched the seat after two unsuccessful attempts, says he does not count winning the seat, by a margin of almost 20, 000 votes, the biggest accomplishment.

"Doing what one sets out to do is the biggest political achievement," says the MP.

Pesa defeated former area MP Owino Likowa, who was his student in the early 1970s at Mosocho Secondary School.

Migori MP Dache Pesa says he will address persistent flooding in the area PHOTO: BONIFACE OKENDO

Migori is one of the agriculturally rich areas in Nyanza. There is sugarcane farming and minerals. Some parts of the town are along the shores of Lake Victoria, where a few residents depend on fishing.

Residents say poor roads have made it impossible to do business. Cane farmers say middlemen, who buy their products and take them to the neighbouring Rongo District for processing, exploit them.

The Sori-Migori road is in dire need of repair. The road connecting Migori to Maasai Mara also requires renovation.

Poor electricity distribution and lack of coolers affect fishermen. During the campaigns, Pesa promised to ensure some of the CDF funds are used to carpet roads.

The MP says he is also working with the Government and the local authority to improve roads. He says he has requested the CDF committee to draw up proposals for all areas that need attention.

He says he will construct more footbridges, build more dams to ease movement and supply water to the community.

"We have also mooted plans to construct dykes so that seasonal rivers, such as Munyu and Ongoche, that usually burst their banks and displace families are contained," says MP.

Pesa says he will work with the Government to sort out some of these problems.

"We have also enlisted the council’s to inject part of its Local Authority Transfer Fund into new projects," he says.

On education, he says the bursary fund will give priority to needy students.

Pesa, 62, was born in Nyarongi. He went to local schools before joining Kenya Science College, where he graduated with a diploma in education in 1970. Later, he went to University of Nairobi and got a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and Economics between 1973 and 1976. He runs private schools in Migori.