Category Archives: Luo

Kenya: There is nothing wrong with being a luo or being a luo Mp/ ODM must have discipline

Dear readers,

The world is full of difficulties and trials. You probably will not find a person who does not have some faults, nor will you be without them yourself. We should all have self-discipline, remain faithful to our own principles. What is democracy?. Does democracy means that if you share the same house with some one who does not want to use toilet but instead prefers to shit or urinate on the floor then you should keep on cleaning it. Will you not tell him to use the toilet or clean his shit himself?. So if he fails completely to use the toilet will you be called undemocratic if you kick him out of the house?. Democracy applies to all, the abuser must also know that by offending the other he is also not practicing the democracy.

ODM is a party which must have discipline if they want to win any election next time. You can not have a party being run like a junkyard, where some members campaign even against their own candidate and if luo MPs say it is wrong then all we hear is that ODM will soon remain a luo party. What right do those who does not want to abide with ODM rules have?. Luos as a tribe should not be allowed to be hold at a ransom, never should they accept blackmailing. They should be proud of themselves. We have heard a lot of nonsense and crap we have to stand against. In 2007 Raila was told that because he comes from Luo and he is not circumcised nobody will vote for him. Were those guys exercising their democratic rights or what?. And where was the luos democratic or Raila`s democratic rights held at?. Another thing most of people does not understand even in this forum of mlalahoi is the committee on implementing the new constitution: It is right and good that NO Mps are not included in the committee, this does not mean that they are excluded from Kenya or their democratic rights is being abused. BUT it just means that the winner dictates the terms under which the new constitution should be implemented and the winners were the YES voters, the majority= democracy rules. If the NO voters would have won then we would be having now nothing to implement. So people do not confuse omitting NO Mps from the committee and ommitting them from Kenyan politics, that is completely a different thing. The NO voters or NO MPs will enjoy the new constitution just as any other Yes voters, they will be allowed to seek for jobs under the constitution just as the yes voters etc. They are allowed to file amendment just as the law requires; Isn`t that not democracy?. SO guys stop cheap politics without portfolio. Let us stop spreading lies in the name of I know it all.

By the way there is nothing wrong with being a luo or being a luo Mp. All tribes in Kenya should be treated equally in the face of law and Kenyans should vote for a good leader whether he is a luo or not. It is good leadership which is lacking in the country and that is what we need. So blackmailing that if so and so is omitted they will not vote for Raila is a crap. We need a good Kenya; we do not need blackmailers. With good strict rules and discipline ODM will attract many supporters but if run like a junk yard where members do whatever they want, it will be worse than even if it was only a luo party . By the way it was NDP which brought Dictator Moi into its knees: Where was NDP`s home land?. Every tribe should be proud of his culture and we should respect each other equally. We Kenyans should see and exploit the common factors which affect us all regardless of your tribe and invest and venture into them for our prosperity. That is when we can build Kenya. But blackmailing and cheap politics will take us nowhere. Kenya will keep on begging from UK, USA, China etc for a long time if we do not act intelligently. We will just be changing masters as we have done since 1963 with no development.

Paul Nyandoto

Kenya: Poor governance of Kenyatta & Moi made Odinga`s family a hero in luoland

Kenyans,

We have heard a lot in this forum, some have been accused to be anti Raila or pro Raila, pro Odinga`s family or against etc. Some have been accused of practicing tribalism, or Raila`s defenders, some also have gained a lot through Raila. Some were promised things by Raila but never fufilled hence they keep on posting malicious accusations in this forum. Some are also defending Raila hoping to gain from him in future. But ladies and gentlemen we have to draw the line somewhere. After some pondering and reading a lot from this forum, I would say that there is nothing wrong with political attitude in luoland or Nyanza. The voting of the new constitution supports my thinking. Here is a society which have tried all the last 45 years and plus to change the political trend in Kenya; the politics of tribalism, corruption, politics of rewarding friends and members of the leaders tribe, unfair development; where other provinces have more than others even in schooling, roads, pure water and upto the most important thing life and death. Guys the health system in our country is not evenly distributed up to today. In Kenya today there are provinces with higher death rates than others and if somebody speaks about that he is accused of practicing tribalism or a Raila supporter.

During the confused 45 years and plus the luos hoped that the situation would come to a swift and happy resolution through a new constitution. But if you look back why the luos have kept with Odinga`s family please read also the story of Robin hood of Nottingham or Zoro. In spite of the obvious difficulties the luos experienced, inspite of luos losing most of their highly educated politicians through the guns of Kenyatta or Moi they never lost hope. Kenyatta and Moi indirectly made Odinga`s family a Robin hood or a Zoro of luoland. Their politics towards the luos made the community to integrate into a follower into whom they saw hope, or a leader who gave them hope. Brave and somebody who could stand for the tribe and speak of the ills befalling the province. The non luos or some luos who do accuse luoland that politics in luoland is made by one family have little brains of thinking. what I know is that the people most likely to get on in this world are not always the most intelligent. It is often those who stand up and when the need arises, push to the front of the queue for the things they want. The Odingas saw the the political situation in Kenya and capitalised on it; BUT what makes the situation worse is that both two presidents Moi and Kenyatta never had good intelligent advisers to reverse the dependency of luos on Odingas family. They played all what only favoured the prosperity to the family.

With the death of Jesus Christ, Christians increased world wide very quickly: Why? , the Romans who crucified Jesus did not expect that, but they made Jesus also famous. Even when Christians new very well that you can not go to heaven without dying first,( even Jesus died first) this did not bother people and more followers of Jesus emerged (Christians). The present Christians will tell tell you that they are not afraid of death, but they just do not want to die yet. On the other hand, they just do not want to die today: life is very good and nobody wants to die before enjoying, Luos are no exception on this. Remember they are just as human beings as other tribes.

What I know is that in the end what matters is not whether people like the conclusion, but whether it is true and if so, what can be done to solve the problem?. Unfortunately there are no easy problems to solve, so the Luos might behave very differently if the political situation in Kenya does not hurt them; Remember heros are sometimes even forgotten in future.
Thanks folks:

Paul Nyandoto

Kenya: Embattled Luo Council of Elders met face to face for the first time since the coup

Writes Leo Odera Omolo At Kendu Bay In Rachuonyo district.

Two factions of the splinter groups within the embattled Luo Council of Elders met face to face for the first time since the much highlighted ousting of the former Council chairman Meshack Riaga Ogalo in an inside boardroom coup last June.

They met face to face during the burial ceremony of an elder Mzee Lawi Ouya at Simbi, Kogembo village in Central Karachuonyo Location, North Rachuonyo district.The present of the members of the two factions had caused a lot of tension in this quiet and sleeping rural village.

Members of the factions had travelled from allover Luo-Nyanza to Karachuonyo after the news went around that the Prime Minister Raila Odinga would attend the high profile burial. But the PM skipped the function and instead attended a church service in Nairobi.

The ousted chairman Riaga Ogalo is known to have been criss-crossing the entire Luo-Nyanza while seeking the public support, and at the same time and recruiting MPs from the greater Southern Nyanza to his side. Some of them like Dalmas Otieno [Rongo] and Joshua Orwa Ojode [Ndhiwa]have since gone public in support of the ousted chairman. He had also held a series of consultative meeting with politicians, civic leaders and ODM operatives in search of political goodwill in support in the battle with his ousters.

Former Karachuonyo MP Mrs Pho9ebe M Asiyo, who is herself known to be aligned to Ker Meshack Riaga Ogalo’s side implored the two groups to reconcile for ‘ the sake of the community’ amid the strong murmurs and strong feeling among the thousands of mourners that the two group should be disbanded to pave the way for a properly constituted Luo Council of Elders in which credible and nonpartisan elders should be elected democratically to serve as its members

Mrs Asiyo had prevailed upon the leaders of the two functions Mzee Meshack Riaga Ogalo [ousted] and the incumbent Mzee Opiyo Otondi [currently registered chairman]to shake hands as a sign of reconciliation spirit amid prolonged applause by mourners.

He former legislator said the current split among the elders was not healthy and insisted that they should reconcile and work together for the betterment of the community.

Buoyed by appreciation displayed by hundred s of the mourners urged, Mr Asiyo to encourage Mzee Opiyo Otondi who had earlier declined to speak to rise up and address them. She reminded the elders during the old time wrestling matches among the Luos when one threw his rival on the ground, he did not set upon him on the ground, but he must quickly stood up to allow the match loser to stand up .

Asiyo reminded the elders present who included Mzee Meshack Riaga Ogalo and others to reconcile for the sake of the community a request that both factions acknowledged.’ We are supposeand unity said Mzee Opiyo Otondi.

Mzee Riaga Ogalo denied that there were any wrangling and that the Council was intact. He insisted that he was till the chairman of the Council despite the fact that the Opiyo Otondi group has been duly registered by the Registrar of the Society.

Ogalo, however, is known to have been travelling the full length and width of the Luo Nyanza campaigning to regain his lost seat, and has enlisted the support of several powerful MPs ion the greater Southern Nyanza to lobby for his group, among them the influential, Mrs Asiyo.

THE TRIBULATION OF THE Luo Council of Elders, which is supposed to have succeeded the Luo Union [EA}a welfare organization started about ten years ago when the Prime minister Raila Odinga disbanded the original Council and replaced it with the operatives of the LDEP against the advice of many wise counsels.

Thereafter its members were always handpicked from the LKDP and later ODM operatives with no proper election. Elders had strongly asked for the Council to be de-linked to the ODM and operate on its own as a different entity in the same way and manner the Luo Uniin [EA]. They were citing the fact that after having been elected to the Colonial Legislative Council in March 1957, the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga who by the was the pioneer Ker [Chairman of the Luo Union E.A had relinquished his position to a non-partisan elder the late Pastor Joel Omer.

None of the current member of the Council had gone through the grass root elections, but all were just handpicked by Raila Odinga and his cahoots in Kisumu. This has turned the Council to look like a wing of the ODM in the same fashion as the party youths and women wing. The Council constitution stipulates that a member must come from his home grass root election and must not necessarily be an ODM operative.

During the brief stint of the KANU/LDP marriage of convenience and political rapport, Luo Council members had pressurized the retired President Daniel Arap Moi to anoint Raila Odinga as his successor to no avail. Sat one time, the Council members were invited to Kabarak home of the retired President for a meeting with Kalenjin elders, but no credible elder from the Kalenjin attended the meeting. They were duped to a discussion with the retired former government security intelligence officers and secret service policemen faking Kalenjin elders.

Another meeting was hastily arranged at the SONYSUGAR guest House in Awendo Town, where the best Luo speakers were assigned to persuade Daniel Arap Moi to anoint Raila Odinga as his successor. By then M<r Odinga was the KANU SECRETARY General, and within a week after Awendo meeting Mr Moi made publicly known while visiting the Mt. Elgon district that he had anointed Mr Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta as his successor.

Many credible and political elite as well as academicians wanted to know the criteria of electing member of the Council. And are known to be urging that concern to improve the electoral system so that the Council become representative and popular vehicle that would help the community gain economic empowerment instead of being used as a rubber stamp or a ladder by an individual for his own selfish ends.

Political pundits insist hat those sitting in the Council at the moment are stranger because none had the blessing of the grass root voters in their respect home and districts. The former Secretary of the Council Mzee Benjamin Okang’Tolo told this writer last week that he had long predicted a fall out, particularly when Raila Odinga moved and maneuvered him and his group out of the Council and replaced them with former jaramogi Oginga Odinga youth wingers. The Council lost its meaning and became part of the ODM.

SAs much as we are unanimously supporting Raila Odinga presiudetial ambitio,he should also reciprocate the good gesture by relaxing his hold on the Council matters and let it be a non-partisan and neutral organization serving all the Luos include ODM member and non-members equally.

Ends

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com

KENYA: COALITION GOVERNMENT IS A HELL!!

From: MOSES OPADO

Jokanyanam,Nyikwa Ramogi Ajwang’!

As grown up people of Kenya we have read katiba and we are going to vote with majority of Kenyans we shall vote yes!In coalition government the big boss is wabunge themselves but the people they have chosen have decided to steal in public coffer in the name of constitution making as government project.We feel that they shall use billions of Kenya shillings to wash wanjiko with nyama choma and tusker beer and this is corruption. Wanjiko,Atito and Nyekesa should have been left alone to decide!Yesterday,the principals were in Province which is known to the poorest on earth but they didn’t even speak or offer a real future for they consider you too poor beyond repair.These guys are not good for nyanza. Go to Rwanda and see with your own eyes that Paul has made her a better place for both hutu and tusi. Both paths and roads are clean nyarwanda has clean tap waters to drink,true school for their children they have ids and both women and men are jobing. Kibaki promise to teach you the things you already know in the name of ujinga! even after election this he can do in uthaya!

Do these leaders know that we have even bad nights when we dream. Does Raila imagine how scared we were to have learn his seventh death and if he is alive it’s our prayers that were answered.

The modern world is built by sick men and women. Luo are truly more ashamed of themselves with both Raila and Obama at the helm! These leaders are no good for nyanza our children are abandoning studies now than before, divorce which was not in our culture is now a game our beloved one are going men don’t love themselves things falls apart in our community than ever something must be done! Luo are now burying their beloved one in the city cementer?

Luo abroad are lonely they are ashamed to be a leader with a hole in their pockets

We are guilty as if OBAMA is Bin Laden and Raila is Mungiki leader. If Kenya are telling us of how they feel just for Obama so do luo with both Obama and Raila?

When a tree of democracy wilt there comes a son of a woman ready to pour his blood!

We did stands millions of dreams but truly our dreams have turn nightmare!We must be frank and tell our leaders that they have let us down. Lake Victoria is drying with out odm cruise to offer jobs and make American dreams.How could we imagine that with this great lake with sweets water and two great leaders like this my own people can be the poorest on planet.Fourth august will be Barack’s birthday and we wish him well and we shall vote yes together as one!But We ask state to borrow us six ships!of which two should be for tourist use around lake Victoria,two Mobil hospital and two navy or coast guards but all of the should with over two thousand passengers capacity we are not asking for free we shall pay back!

Luo’s must stop begging sweets,cigarettes,alcohol but true jobs! Luo should join Muslim religion for the churches have been bribed to stand against the new law!

Our leaders have done nothing good for the community worth remembered they are only good at pointing fingers to other leader enriching their communities and this is pure jealousy and this will take us no where!Our leaders are making us to be people against the Rich. Nyikwanyarnam! We love to be Rich.We want God to bless Nyanza with leaders ready to relieves us to richness freedom not telling us to hate a rich person. We are fed up of dragged to peoples well being we want just to be ourselves;We are fed up of harufu we want real things; we are fed up of cinema we truth in Jesus name! The church has enslaved you taxed you and finish you in the name of poverty n ow that they know that the new want them to declare how much they can robe the poor and be taxed the y are using home made bomb to kill you!

uongo mbaya if think that munandi with come to make kisumu abetter place forget just that! Kisumu ni Dalas!

if you know a man that bought your land with corrupt money so that you pay your son school fees at the end there was no examination for your child please tell him to quit the land because he is corrupt argent sent to steal your life!if bank is borrowing money to push you to alcohol or to be against your family without your concept this is corruption in the name poverty! Jaramogi refused land right because because the nyanza land belongs to God and our God is our beloved family!

A luo must be a land banker not a land seller. The mungiki with banks with loose cash to push people in their religions is only good today because we have no leaders but let me assure that its a time bomb tomorrow when shall got leader instead of leting them to govern you shall waist their times in preaching peace among you!

Our leaders today are in their pockets telling you that if you need loan go iniquity bank the money your which has been stolen in one way or another public coffers Golden- gerg, Maize scandals, trillion etc the loose are Luo and the winner are Kenyans. Fathers is sick with ukimiat home he has three mama with babies and seven children in bogus high schools a loan in iniquity its calculated that the land must go!Iniquity is a heaven gift to help at such as situations but with the children sit their exams that is but another question for Uhuru will send paper before examination to make the luo boys feel guilty that the papers they saw and they stands disquisitions for their own making when the real culprit is the minister of finance??? And is riding in a private jet! The education which was a luo pride has been drug and raped beyond repair Prof Sara Obama can witness!

How will anew constitution change our life if corruption keeps change the name?Even our strong leaders support the new form of virus. Pushing luos to shall with a true feeling that is it!!

–opado

East Africa: Brief correction about Luo family tree and lineage, and migration from Sudan to Kenya

From: Leo Odera Omolo

THE LUO FAMILY TREE LINEAGE FROM NUBA HIILS TO WAU STATE SOUTHERN SUDAN, UGANDA TO KENYA AND TANZANIA.

I have been reading a lot of concocted stories about the Luo family tree lineage by one Ajos Wuod Atiga Nyar-Ocholla., and although I am not disagreement with him, I should like to put forward the following corrections.

We start from Wau Province now one of the states in Southern Sudan.

There was a serious outbreak of anthrax {Opere} which whipped out the entire livestock that were owned by the Lwos {Luo}. Following this incident, which experts says took place around 1300 the community resorted to fishing along the River Nile for survival. And this is how it earned the derogatory names Jo-Oluo-Aora ( Meaning Luos}.

Previous the Lwo group had briefly occupied Nuba Hills, which are located North of Khartoum, the present of the Nubians {Wanubi},small community of Negroes believed to be the closest cousins of the Lwo Speaking groups. This the first stop after Egypt, a country which the group had conquered and ruled for some times.

The Chieftain at the material time was Sinakuru.He is the father of Podho{1} who in turn fathered Ringruok,who is the father of Owat,and Owat is the father of Twaifo, the of Jok {1}.Jok [1} fathered a son called Nayo,and it was Nayo fathered Jok {11} who is the father of Ramogi [1}.

Rampgi {1} had two sons Aruwa and Podho{2}.

Aruwa and Podho were involved in a serious dispute after Podho speared an elephant to scare away a herds of elephants which were destroying the family farm of sorghum. Aruwa is reported to have insisted in getting back his very spear, though he knew that the animal had escaped with the spear sticking on its body to the thick forest and the spear was irretrievable and the issue was near impossible.

The two brothers disagreed and got separated each choosing and following his own path. Podho chose to move eastwards, while Aruwa move westward.

Today the descendants of Aruwa are the varius community and tribes scattered all over Africa, most of them have settled In Centra and West Africa. They include the communities like the Acholis, Gang. Chopi, Aluru, Langi {Lang’o}Kwa. Lughbuara, Madi, Kuku, Mondo, Lukoya,Lubira, Yom. Others are Siluk and Dinka and Nuer.

The descendants of Aruwa are scattered all over Africa, though the majority lives in Southern Sudan, Uganda and Central African Republic. But few of these people could be traced in Chad, Cameroun, Ghana and Nigeria.

After the two disagreed and separated, Podho who moved eastwards got several sons who included Ramogi[2} Lang’ni, Omia, Okombo, Didandand Muwiru.

Ramogi {2} had two sons, Nyaluo and Ramogi{3} who is commonly known as Ramogi Ajuwanbg”. He earned the extra name Ajuwang’ because his father Ramogi {2} died while he was still in his mother’s womb.

Nyaluo fathered Omolo {1}who is the father of Ochielo and Ochiel {Ochiel} had two sons Ragem{Gem} and Migenya {Ugenya}. And Migenya became the father of Anam Lwanda, Omolo [2}, Gor, Deje, Waljack {Kager}, Nyamwot, Rachiewo and Nyiner.

The Southern Luo got scattered while they were travelling eastwards. Some of their people lost their way while travelling through Uganda and got lost and melted into some other tribes in that country..The Ugenya and Jok group settled in a place called Band in Busoga, while Owiny, Muwiru and Omolo group came through Tororo and Mt Elgon.

It was Ramogi [3} or Ramogi Ajuwang” who arrived in Kenya and temporarily settled and built a home in a place called Ligala in Bunyala.The place is still called by that name t-date. He then crossed Rwambwa and Yala Swamp to Got Ramogi in what is the presently called Yimbo-Kadimo.

When Ramogi Ajuwang’ reached Got Ramogi he had his eldest son Jok [3} And Jok got a son there who was called Imbo.

Imbo had nine sons, namely Mumbo, Dimu {Dimo}, Nyinek, Iro, Magak, Nyiywen, Nyikal. Rado and Julu.

Mumbo is the father of Muljwok, and Uyawa and Muljwo is the father of Alego, Chwanya, and Omia.

IT WAS Alego who the first to moved eastwards from Got Ramogi’s ancestral home. He crossed River Yala and settled in a place called Nyandiwa .Here Alego faced the stiffest resistance from some concocted smaller Bantu tribes which had sworn not to allow the Joka=Owiny and Joka-Ramogi to set foot in this territor, but Alego had somehow superior force which overcome the Kombe Kombe group as they were called then. These are the people who run across River Yala and settled in Yimbo and form parts of the 54 sub-tribes living in Yimbo today.But they were later overturned and conquered by the Domo, Owil, Nyiywen and Wareje group which were part of Joka-Owiny.

It is arguably that nearly all the Luo sub-clans living in Nyanza might have settled in Alegoi before moving to their present land.

I am kindly requesting your historian Ajos Wuod Atiga Nyar-Ocholla to do some home work and studies. He could either endorse my version or dispute these historical facts and open up public debate.

I could go further, but let me pen off here and allow him time to respond. Although agreed with him on many other facts, but most of his facts stands to be corrected and I should like to encourage him to go ahead and do much serious research before posting some stories to the website or compare notes with other writers.

Ends

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com

Kenya: Where are the Luo MPs stand on the proposed constitution?

News Analysis By Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City.

WITH only three weeks to go before the referendum voting for the proposed constitution, a new political dimension has emerged in various parts of Western Kenya.

There is some element of complacency and laxity on the parts of Luo MPs. from-Nyanza Province an area which is perceived to be one of the stronghold of the Orange Democratic Movement {ODM} whose leader is the Prime Minister Raila Odinga who together with President Mwai Kibaki are known to be in the forefront championing the Yes campaign.

The campaign aimed at drumming up the support or against the proposed law reform is yet to kick off in earnest in many parts of Western Kenya,especially in Luo-Nyanza in the same fashion it has hit the roads in the South and North Rift and in some parts of Western Province.

The Yes campaign in Gusii region of Nyanza Province has also hit snag owing to what seemed to be irreconcilable political differences between the two cabinet ministers. Education Minister Prof Sam K Ongeri and his counterpart Works Minister Chris Mogere Obure are both in the Greens Camp, but the two are not in talking terms, a political scenario, which is likely to weaken the Yes camp campaign in the region and possibly benefit the Nyachae led Reds Camp.

The differences between the two senior most politicians in Kisii region recently resurfaced during the just concluded by-election in South Mugirango. In the by election Ongeri abandoned his KANU candidate and backed the immediate former area MP Omingo Magara who stood on the ticket of the hitherto unknown Peoples Democratic Party {PDP},while Obure supported the ODM candidate Ibrahim Ochoi. But both the aspirants lost to a low profiled candidate Manson Oyongo Nyamweya, of the Ford People.

In the by-election Nyachae steered clear of the by-election, but his right hand man Henry Obwocha a former Planning Minister had camped and spear-headed the campaign in South Mugirango during the whole duration of the by-election. In the previous by election in the neighboring Bomachoge, Obure campaigned for the ODM candidate Simon Ogari who eventually won, while Ongeri supported the PNU candidate Joel Onyancha who lost in the by-election.

Other MPs from Gusii region are only showing cosmetic support to either Yes or No proponents and the voters are left guessing as to which way they should cast their votes.

In Luo-Nyanza, which is arguably the region’s political hot-bed, the majority of the MPs have gone silent. Only a few of them have been reported to have organized public rallies to drum up the public support the Yes camp.

They included Oyugi Magwanga [Kasipula-Kabondo}, Gerald Otieno Kajwang’ {Mbita}Dr. Oburu Oginga [Bondo}, Eng.James Rege{Karachuonyo} Prof Ayiecho Lueny {Muhoroni},Jakoyo Midiwo {Gem} James Orengo {Ugenya},John Olago Aluoch {Kisumu Town West}Prof. Anyanh’Nyong’o {Kisumu Rural and Dick Omoindi Anyanga of Nyatike.

Luo MPs who are said to have gone underground not to be heard speaking in favor or against the proposed constitution include Otieno Ogindo {Rangwe}, Cyprian Ojwang’Omolo {Uriri} Eng. Nicholas Gumbo {Rarieda} Edwing Ochieng’ Yinda {Alego-Usonga} Polins Ochieng Daima {Nyakach},John

Kenya: Tribalism

from k.

I need opinions and advise from my Kalenjin brothers and sisters. Please make me understand, where did the Luo community wrong our Kalenjin forefathers? I am dating a Luo man but my parents are so against it claiming that the Community disgust them. If you could post it on your wall and let people discuss about it but keep my identity a secret, I will highly appreciate. I really want to understand where my parents are coming from and may be assist me in making a wise decision for both my parents and relationship.

A sister in distress.

Can someone please help the sister out. Be mindful of others feelings when commenting.

Thanks.

Kalenjins are using this to attack luo on kalenjin beauty

Kenya: Ker Riaga Ogalo and his team voted out of the Luo Council of Elders

Writes Leo Odera Omolo in Kisumu City.

The chairman of the powerful Luo Council of Elders Ker {chairman} Meshack Riaga Ogalo was voted out of office with his entire members of the executive and replaced with his former Deputy Willis Opiyo Otondi.

Ogalo, the Deputy Secretary General Edward Adera Osawa and the Acting Treasurer General Dorothy Awino boycotted the election which was supervised by Rev Wasswa from, Western Province.

The election was a follow up of the Annual General Meeting of the organization which was held on May 10th, 2010. The meeting of May 10 took the whole day and ended up at 7:30 forcing the delegates to postpone the election. But it resolved that another meeting be held on June 4th 2010.

On June 3rd two members of the Council. Mzee Odak Mbaka from Kasipul-Kabondo and Ex-Assistant Chief Nyandiko from Central Karachuonyo moved to the High Court and filed an injunction to stop the elections. But it later emerged that the court papers were not served, and have so far not been served to date, so the election went on as scheduled

In the election the former deputy chairman,and Willis Opiyo Otondi from Kisumu East was elected unopposed, His deputy is an Ex-Senior Chief Omolo Anditi of Rusinga Island.

The vacant post of the Secretary General went to Otieno Ayieko from Kamagambo, Rongo. His deputy is Mzee Owino Nyandi.This position become vacant following the last week’s resignation in huff of the former holder Prof. Gilbert Ogutu.

The treasurer General is Owino Abuor who will have Mzee Alogo Raila, who is a cousin of the Prime Minister Raila Odinga as his deputy.

Mzee Stephen Othoo Deya from Kagan in Homa-Bay was named the Organizing Secretary with Mzee Michal Odote Kojiemo from Ahero, Kano as his deputy. The position of the Trustees remained unchanged. They are the former PEO Mzee Seth Oluoch and educationist Oyuga Tado and another man whose name was not handed to this writer.

The delegates were 5 each from the 26 administrative districts covering the entire Nyanza Proviunce from Siaya, Bondo, Ugenya, Rarieda,Gem, Kisumu West and Kisumu East, Nyando, Muhoroni, Nyakach, Karachuomyo zmorth, Karachuoyo South, Homa-Bay, Rangwe, Ndhiwa, Mbita, Gwassi, Nyatike, Migori, Uriri and Rongo.

He embattled former Ker {chairman} Riaga Ogalo and his supporters stayed away from the election venue, arguing that Ker [chairman} and his executive only vacate office following death or voluntary resignation.

It could be remembered that even Ker Meshack Riaga Ogalo was never elected, but had been appointed to act in that position following the death of the former holder the late Mzee Joash Koyo Opien. Two months ago the Prime Minister Rauila Odinga in the company of the Lands Minister James Orengo visited Ofafa Memorial Hall and addressed the elders and made it clear that in order to restore the confidence of the community members they must seek for fresh ,mandate through the elections.

Ker Riaga Ogalo has been having trouble with his organization’s executive members who disowned a secret trip he had made to Libya at the invitation of the Libyan strongman Muamor El Gadhafi who is said to have lavishly entertained him as a hero.

He is said to have surrendered the leadership position to Kamlesh Paul Patni of the Goldenberg scandal same while in Libya, and in return Patni alleged gave him a ten seater Matatu van, which the Council member rejected totally, saying he did not inform the executive about the trip in advance.

End

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com

Kenya: Trouble ridden Luo Council of Elders is dissolved and fresh election called next week

News Analysis By Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City

The trouble ridden Luo Council of Elders is dissolved and a fresh election for its executive committee members called for next week.

The dissolution took place at an Annual General meeting held on May 10th,2010 at the Ofafa Memorial Hall, Kisumu.

It was, however, disclosed that a section of members not happy with the move have been trying hard in vain to suppress the news of the dissolution from reaching the public domain.

According to documents availed to this writer by a member of the inner circle, the AGM was called by the organization’s Secretary-General Prof.Gilbert E.M. Ogutu, in a letter to invitation to the meting sent out to all members of the executive committee on April 22nd, 2010.

It listed eight agendas for discussion, amongst them the confirmation of all the minutes of the previous meetings, report on the trip made by its 20 members to Southern Sudan last year, financial report of the Council, the Council’s role in connection to the community participation in the country’s national politics, resolution on the way forward and the electi0ns to fill the vacant seats in the executive committee and any other businesses.

The meeting came at the time when the Council chairman Meshack Riaga Ogalo is facing a multiple of accusation and allegations against his leadership of this most powerful organ, which is the custodian of traditions and cultural virtue of the Luo Community, and the only well organized among the various tribal Council of Elders in the country

The chairman is also facing other allegations that he is working covertly with a powerful politician in the Rift Valley who is allegedly plotting for the downfall of the Luo political kingpin Raila Odinga, the allegation which the chairman has fiercely denied.

Prof Ogutu briefed the meeting about the trip the Council members made last year to Southern Sudan, where they also attended and paid their homage at the graveside of the late Southern Sudanese liberation hero Gen Dr John Garaang De Miabor who died a couple years ago in an helicopter crash in the north eastern Uganda.

The group, according to Prof Ogutu also attended the three days international conference of presidents, traditional and cultural leaders from African and Arab countries, which was held in the Southern Sudan state of Western Bahrl Ghazal after the group had been received in Juba by the Southern Sudan President Silva Kiir on arrival by air at the Southern Sudan capital, Juba.

The Luo elders were treated to a VIP status and given a state welcome by the Sudanese authorities who booked them to the most posh hotels

The elders also visited Wau City and the state where the Luo community is 0erdeived to have migrated from centuries ago before the community settled in Kenya, Uganda and part of Tanzania. In Wau, there is the highest population of Luos which forms 80 per cent of the total population while Dinkas fills the remaining gap of 20 per cent. The state of Wau, the group was told by the local governor that the population is so sparse and they local people would most welcome more Luo from East Africa to go back and settle there. The also visited Mapel, a place which is highly believed to have been the rural home of the Luos before the community moved out of the Sudan centuries ago.

The contentious issue discussed at the meeting was about the recent secret visit to Libya by the Council chairman Ker Meshack Riaga Ogalo, which was shrouded in secrecy and without consulting other members of the executive committee. It was established that Ker Meshack Riaga Ogalo was among delegates from other African and Arab states, comprising mainly traditional rulers and cultural leaders who converged in Tripoli at the invitation of Libyan strongman Col, Muamor El-Gadhafi.

During the Tripoli meeting Gadhafi is said to have told the delegates to elect their own leaders, and Ker Meshack Riaga Ogalo wasd poised to be made the leader of the Kenyan delegation. He was, however, allegedly compromised and manipulated by Kamlesh Paul Patni of the Goldenberg fame, who bought him off with a gift of a ten seat Nissan Matatu van and relegated him to the position of the vice chairmanship.

There were also unconfirmed rumors that a substantial amount of money also allegedly changed hands, but which the chairman has yet to disclose to the other Council members.

Other allegations were that a member of the Council who had her own NGO was using he Council letterhead and logo while extorting money from unsuspecting donors, the money accrued goes into individuals pockets and not to the Council coffers.

THE Council took the possession of the Ofafa Memorial Hall located on the main Kisumu Kakamega Highway, and is earning close to Kshs 100,000 per month from the tenants operating their businesses at the Hall, but the Council bank account is in the red, and nobody was in position to account for the money or explain satisfactorily where it goes

Ofafa Memorial Hall, which is named after the later ex-Nairobi City Councilor the late Anbrose Ofafa from Alego Ka-Kalkada who was shot and assassinated by the Mau Mau freedom fighters in the early 1950 during the African uprising against the British colonial and white settlers administration in Kenya was built with the donation from all Luos from all over East Africa under the auspices of the defunct Luo Union East Africa, which also had established other assets such as Luo Thrift and Trading Company, which owns a number of building in Kisumu and Maseno towns as well as a large scale sugarcane farm measuring 400m acres in Miwani area and other investments.

It was completed in 1961 with millions of shillings donated by Luos from all over East Africa, and for many years was under the management of the defunct Luo Union {EA}. But in early 1980, the retired President Daniel Arap Moi banned all the tribal welfare organizations. The Luo Union fall under the same category of tribal welfare organization despite of its massive investments.

And thereafter Ofafa Memorial Hall had changed and fallen under the different management including that of the Ramogi Institute of Advanced Technology {RIAT}, which had used it as its Kisumu City Campus for sometime. But RIAT was ejected out of it by a group of patrons of the defunct Luo Union who moved to the High Court and disputed its ownership arguing that it was erroneously handed to RIAT.

It has been the subject of numerous legal tussles in court between its registered patrons and members of the Luo Council of Elders, some of the cases are still pending before the courts. And if properly scrutinized and examined well could ends up in frauds.

Te current Luo Council of Elders is perceived to consist mostly of ODM loyalists and people whose nomination and elections to the Council are questionable. Ker Meshack Riaga Ogalo had succeeded or inherited the position from the late Joash Koyo Opien who had succeeded the late Adala Otuko . Thereafter there has never been any credible election of people from grassroots locations and regions..Most of its members are handpicked ODM political operatives, thus denying the Council the credibility it deserves to be a neutral organization catering for the entire Luo irrespective of their stations within the society and their political parties of affiliations.

There has been a lot of conflict of interests and clashes between the younger generations of MPs from Luo-Nyanza ands some members of the Council who are being accused of gross political interferences at the constituency levels. Some of the MPs have been complaining of gross interference and excessive belly-begging by some of the Council members as well as political manipulation.

When the Prime Minister Raila Odinga met the Council members three months ago, he advised them call for fresh election process in order to give the Council a representative and democratic looking face.

And when the Council meet and was expected to elect the new treasury to replace the former treasurer in whose place Mrs Dorothy Awino is currently occupying in acting capacity, the executive committee members insisted in electing the entire office including that of the chairman’s position.

Moderate members of the Council have been heard demanding that the Council should delink itself from day to day political activities of the ODM and serve members of the community,and that its executive committee should include Luos from other political parties and not exclusively the preserve of the ODM and that the Council should stop excessive indulgence in politics and only cater for the cultural issues affecting the entire Luo community.

Ends

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com

Kenya: A visit to Libyan President Gadhafi is causing trouble in the Luo Council of Elders

News Analysis By Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City

TROUBLES are brewing within the powerful Luo Council of Elders on what appeared to the community’s loss of faith and confident in its leadership.

The Council is currently hit by a leadership row making its work, operation and performance as the custodian of cultural virtue and value of the community rather negative.

Members of the Luo community have all along been nursing the belief that the Council is the replacement of the defunct former powerful Luo Union East Africa, which ceased from existence in the early 1980 following the countrywide ban imposed in all tribal welfare organizations by the then KANU one party monolithic system under the stewardship of the retired President Daniel Arap Moi.

A recent Council meeting held at the Ofafa Memorial Hall within Kisumu City almost turned into a vote against the Council chairman Ker Meshack Riaga Ogalo. A group of leaders opposed to the chairman’s leadership had plotted for an impromptu and unscheduled election.

But the scheme had only flopped after Ogalo’s deputy Willis Otondi who is the preferred successor developed cold feet, changed his mind and pleased with the elders to follow the right procedure in removing the chairman.

Ogalo is facing multiple accusation including the alleged covertly working in cohort with powerful politicians from outside Luo community who are perceived to be the political enemies of the Prime Minister Raila Odinga not consulting the executive committee.

The chairman is said to have travelled to Tripoli,Libya to meet with President Muamor El-Gdhafi without the approval of the Council’s executive committee. He is also being accused of accepting a Matatu Nissan Van offered to the Council by President Gadhafi through Kamlesh Paul Patni of the Goldenberg fame who has of late unilaterally assumed the role of chairmanship and coordinator of all tribal Council of Elders in Kenya without consultations. The vehicle was out rightly rejected by the Council.

Other allegations against Ogalo include insubordination of a section of Luo MPs and thereby undermining their work at the constituency levels.

Ogalo, however came out strongly in his defense dismissing all the allegations as baseless saying all the decisions he has taken have been sanctioned by the executive committee of the Council. He blames a section of MPs for his problems. The meeting ended up in chaos.

Of late Ogalo has been branded to be working as a mole of top Rift Valley politicians whom he is allegedly inconstant communication.

The deputy chairman Willis Otondi said that another crucial meeting is planned to take places within the next two weeks.

Ogalo maintained that he has never taken any decision without involving the Council’s executive committee.

On May 6th, 2010 the Luo Council of Elders suffered another blow and set-back when a High Court Judge gave a judgment barring the group from operating as the owners and patrons of the Ofafa Memorial Hall pending the judicial review applied by the rival groups which claims to be the registered patron of all the defunct Luo Union of East Africa.

Justice J.R.Karanja dismissed the Luo Council of Elders application with costs to the defendant Henry Michael Ochieng Obiero, a tenant at the facility whose ownership has been subject to dispute between the Luo Coucil of Elders and a group of rivals claiming to have been the genuinely and duly registered patrons of all the property owned by the defunct Luo Union East Africa.

As the result of the order members of the Luo Council of Elders stand barred and their workers or agents stand barred from entering or making use of any part of the Ofafa Hall.

Other reports says that when the Prime Minister Raila Odinga in the company of the Lands Minster James Orengo visited Ofafa Memorial Hall three months ago and addressed the Council, he urged them to conduct elections so that they may restore the confident of members of the community.

The current Luo Council of Elders comprised non-elected members. Most of its present members were men and women previously associated with the late Jaramogi OLGINGA Odinga, and who his son Raila Odinga had inherited as loyalist supporters. But none had gone through the process of being elected from his or her local community. They were handpicked in Kisumu, mainly by the IODM supporters.

The Council is therefore seen as a wing of the ODM or serving the party as its pressure groups. Some of them are known to be relatives of the dead Odinga’s hard-core and died-hard supporters. While other consist of individuals who cannot even be elected as civic Councilors within their own community or be made to be members of local primary school committees in their own villages.

And for the Council to regain its lost glory, its members must go for grass root elections in their own local communities in order to be able to earn respect of the community. It is not a strange thing for someone to travel from the far flung of Luo-Nyanza such as Nyatike or Mbita to come to Kisumu and found that someone from his own villages, who is virtually unknown to the villagers is sitting in the Luo Council of Elders purporting torepresent his orher interest.

The Council need to be overhauled and made to be much of representatives than a bunch oif sycophants and political hirelings of the ODM..People have been puzzled and perplexed as to who is responsible of nominating such people to the Council, an organ which is supposed to be so supreme body within the community and required the representation of people of high reputation and image.

The current Council is suffering credibility crisis. Community members cannot differentiate its cultural role within the society and its active participation in sectarian ODM party politics. Its chairman has always seized every opportunity commenting on major political issues affecting Kenya as a nation, something which members view as being outside the Council of Elders mandate.

A two weeks visit to Southern Sudan by the twenty Council members is one of the issues which the community considered to be outside the Council mandated cultural functions. While the visit to Libyan President Muamor El-Gadhafi is considered by the community as a mission of belly-begging, which has ashamed the community.

Ends

ledooderaomolo@yahoo.com

Luos definition – yawah

Did you know the difference between Luoz, Luos, Jeng’, Mjaluo, Jaluo and Mjaka?

Here’s the difference.

1. Luoz – are all over the world yaani diasporic, highly educated and articulate. I mean Obama type of people… They will die supporting Arsenal FC, Brazil , All Blacks, Harambee Stars and Gor Mahia.

2. Luos – are born and raised in Kisumu, probably went to Kisumu Boys/Girls High schools, then joined Maseno University or Kisumu Poly, work along Oginga Odinga Street in Kisumu and have never travelled past Ahero! They adore boda boda and Guinness.

3. Jeng’ – were probably born and raised in Nai (read Nairobi ), lived in Lang’ata or surrounding. Have been to shags once or twice for grandy’s funeral coz paros insisted. Says his/her shags is In upcountry somewhere in Nyanza. You say “amosi omera” to them and they respond “niaje jo vipi”. And they are only seen during Gor and FC matches at City Stadium.

4. Mjaluo – was born in Mombasa , speaks swahili sanifu, broken English and no mother tongue. Full names are Otieno Abdalla or Anyango Amina.. Is a Muslim, lives in Ganjoni or surrounding and thinks Kisumu people are “watu wa bara”.

5. Jaluo – Odhis ngima tek owada, we a bed e gweng’ ka!! OMERA!!!!

6. Wajaka – are born and raised in Eastlands predominantly Ololo, Okongo, Jeri, Salem , Bangla, Ofaro, Marish, Mbote, and Huruma. They have never gone past Ungem and they only know that they are Luos because of their second names. They know Kisumu is a town near Nakuru, where you pass ukiishiia kwa kina mbuyu..


Odwako Fred

SOMO

Jjokanyanam motelonwa madongo dongo onego wan’gi uru ni nyithi jokanyanam yudo somo makare nikech wan chien ahinya eyor somo.

Niche obedo na malit ka aneno ki solo pesa egweng ni inyieogo rombo midhi rwak go ker kendo isolo pesa e dhoot ka dhoot to nyithindo motimo penj ngeny to ok sol ne gi pesa.

KENYA: LOKO CHIKE NO. 02

An H.E.O. Makiri,

kata jomoko wacho ni aluor, ooyo otoyo maluor ema ru. Jokanyaanam, wach
wuod atol Daily Nation 30/03/2010 yite mar auchiel (6), omiyo aparo wach
moro.

Adier paruru ane wachneni maber. Samoro ng`ang`ni ma jogi ng`ang`nie e wach
mar chike ni samoro nitie gimomiyo pod ok nyal kale mapiyo kama. Adier, ka
gima Kalonzo owacho kadi timre, to ang`o kendo? Mano tiende ni pod wanyalo
dok e lum.To ka wadok e lum to pod gima ne otimore bang` yiero chande di
timre kendo. Ok owinjore mondo Jakom owuogie loch, ka owuok to ng`euru ni
pod wan kod tich matek.

Machielo, gima aneno, joka BIMBE, ong`eyo maber ni onge ng`ama nyalo yombo
Jakom e Kenya kae, omiyo nyaka gidwar yore duto tetete maginyalo geng`ogo
jakom. Omiyo kaka gin bende nee okony gi gi NRA mar Uganda, Wan bende onego
wabedie kod osiepewa manyalo konyowa e seche mawach tek. E! JOKA NYAANAM
WANENURU.

KENYA: BARUA MAR MIGOSI PETER ANYANG’ NYONG’O

Amosi ahinya Muluor,

Gin weche mag wich kuot makelo mirima ka waneno ka  jotelo mag piny kendo moko ei chama koro oselokore ondiegi kendo dwaro gi yore te ni mondo chama gi jotende opondhi. ok mano kende to waneno ka gidwaro dwoko wa chien e weche mag katiba manyien.Kar mondo gi ti e lela to gi dawro dhi e bungu ka ma gi dhi chiemo e a kwala.

En wach malit miwuoro to ni onge gima wanyalo timoe maduang nikech chama ok otegno kaka owinjore. Gik mane ODM opango timo ka ade okaw loch omiyo ne wahere to kendo pod wahere.

Gi ma wayuago ni pogo joma ok jo chama gi jo chama tek. Ang’o ma monou
wabed jo chama ma chulo pesa kendo manyalo yiero a yo makare. Chama ka
osebodo maduong’ to ng’ato bedo mana ja chama ka oketoe chunye.

Andikoni kaka jagoro ni ketwa mondo wabed jo chama e yo maler. Kas to
lwenje ma chandou nyaka ja kom te, uwenwa wagoyo kaka jo chama. Un owinjo ubed mos uparo kaka ondiegi ma Kenya itieko. Onge kaka unyalo paro maber ka pod uketho saa ka uduokoru gi ondiegi.

Mogenou kendo mohero Kenya.

Fuambo.

Kaka anene

An H.E.O. MAKIRI, ok an jasiasa, to ahero mana golo pacha e gik matimore.

Jokanyaanam, ti bende ase neno mogundho. E ndalo loch ker Moi, nee wan kod
bishop Kipsang Muge, nee en jal mohero adiera kaka nee en ng`at Ruoth
Jehova. Omiyo nee ok giwinjre kod ker. Chieng` moro nee owacho ni obiro dhi
e piny Okondo, mi Okondo nee omiye notice ni ka odhi kuro to ok nodog thurgi
ka ongima, jabishop nee owuok mar dhi limo jo Nyasaye modak thurgi Okondo to
adier nee ok odwogo ka ongima kaka ker bende nee ok giwinjre go, nee owach
ni Okondo ema nee onege.

E kinde ni bende wiya dwoka chien ema omiyo aparo wachno. Koro jokanyaanam
nitie otego ma ose tegi machielo ni jakom. Otege kod joka BIMBE. Ung`eyo
maber gima nee otimore bang` yiero mokadho, ji mang`eny nee otho e kanisa
Eldoret. Kata mana sani joka bimbe dwaro wuod holo okak (W Ruto) kaka di
tiek ngimane to jakom ema nyocha oume. Koro majogi gole kuom jakomni, ang`o
mabiro timore? Mit dipoka jogi ditiek ngimane? To kagi tieke, mit ka yuak di
kel kuom jakom kaka nee mar Okondo gi Bishop Muge?

Yawa kony uru wachni mapiyo kaka nyalore mondo gima chalo kama kik geng` ni
jakom chopo e olemo.

Ker Riaga O. kod jodongo duto gi Bishobe duto mag joka nyaanam bende uneno
ma? luong uru jakom ubed godo piny ulos kode mondo gidog gibed e achiel kod
bwana RUTO WILLIAM.

CHUNG MOTEGNO

Amor mar kwayo oganda onagi duto kamoramora magintie ni gi chung` motegno
ahiinya bende gibed kod kwe.

Ang`o momiyo awacho kamano? En ni e sechegi ema wanyalo ketho weche mabeyo
to bedo maricho nikech mirima. Kaluwore kod gima nyocha otimore e kind Jakom
kod Ker, anene ni en gima ne joka bimbe ne ose pango chon.

Rang uru ane malong`o e gik matimore nyaka nee jakom chak wach mar bunge ma
MAU.

Gi lweny malich ose yudi diriyo e piny masaai. A ng`o mimiyo gigo timore?
Joka bimbe sani ose bet piny mi oneno ni onge wuodgi moro motegno manyalo
chung` e yiero mar 2012 koro gima duong` gidwaro mondo gitiek jakom. Omiyo
warit uru dhowa kod mirima to weche duto waket ni Nyasaye namar gilweny go
jogo dwaro mondo giti kod jo holo okak ma nee okawo lowo e mau mondo gi chak
godo lweny gi jokaynaanam. Mano ema omiyo gidwaro thuwowa kod jo kisii
bende. YAWA BED URU MOTANG`

Alego-Usonga, President Barack Obama’s ancestral home constituency in rural Kenya is sliding backwards in economic development due to incompetent representation in Parliament

ALEGO-USONGA CONSTITUENCY APPEARS TO BE SLIDING BACKWARDS, AS FAR AS RURAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONSTITUENCIES INSIDE LUO-NYANZA ARE CONCERNED.

The Political Profile of Alego-Usonga Constituency, By Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City.

Once considered as one of the most advanced parts of Luo-Nyanza region, Alego-Usonga constituency seems to be sliding backwards, due to what the residents describe as poor political leadership and lack of motivation.

During colonial rule in Kenya, the area produced the top class civil servants, primary and high school teachers, clerical officers in both public and private sectors, doctors, engineers and many experts in various fields and professionals.

It produced traditional Nyatiti Luo Musicians and even excellent soccer players, like Otieno Kepher, Otieno Orocho, Kenya’s finest goalkeeper of the 1950s Stephen Ochieng, clerics like the late Canon Ezekiel Apindi, a pioneer Anglican priest who founded both Ng’iya and Pe-Hill Anglican Missions in both Central and Southern Nyanza regions.

Alego-Usonga produced one of the black African top police sleuths, who rose through the ranks to become the second African director of CID in Independent Kenya, the late Peter Okola. Okola was one of only three finest police officers in post independent Africa, who was among the first black men to be promoted to the rank of sub-inspector, and later full Inspector in 1939.

The signs that the constituency is sliding backward became apparent during the ODM branches conference, which was held at Homa-Bay two weeks ago, and which was chaired by the party leader Raila Odinga.

Alego-Usonga sent three sets of delegations opposed to each other, who travelled in five big Nissan Matatu to Homa-Bay. One delegation was representing the branch which is allied to the area MP, Edwin Ochieng’ Yinda. The second delegation was led by Siaya business magnate, and a former Town’s Mayor, Mr Orwenjo-Umidha, and the third delegation was led by one Francis Odhiambo. All the three delegations claimed to have been duly elected and registered as branch officials at the party’s headquarters based at Orange House in Nairobi.

The Alego-Usonga MP, Edwin Ochieng’Yinda, who was present at the Homa-Bay ODM branches conference in Nyanza, that brought together close to 1000 delegates from all Luo-Nyanza, appeared not to be bothered by this pathetic scenario of events. All the three sets of delegations demanded for admission and were all accommodated into the conference hall, to the chagrins of other branches.

Yinda seemed neither bothered nor ashamed of the unbecoming scenario. But it was a good pointer to the direction to which the politics of Alego-Usonga is presently heading to.

Alego-Usonga is currently represented in Parliament by one of the richest Luo personalities in the region, and even in Kenya as a whole, but locally, the constituency is poorly managed in terms of economic development and infrastructures. All the feeder and access roads across this expansive rural constituency are impassable, especially during the rainy seasons, when the red soil becomes so muddy. According to the locals, the recent Elnino rains washed away most of the bridges on the small streams, and this has made travelling across the constituency very difficult for the locals.

During the dry seasons, Siaya Township becomes so dusty. Due to poor state of roads, the only mode of reliable transport is by motor-bike taxis. But even these hard-core motor bike riders at times refuse to take passengers on certain roads, or they charges double, due to poor state of the road.

The major road that leads out of Siaya Town via Ndere, Boro and headed to Uranga Nyadorerra is poorly maintained, dusty, full of one to two feet deep pot-holes, and washed away murrums. Indeed, these areas need all whether murrum roads.

The devolving funds given to every constituency by the government appear not to have been disbursed well in this constituency, taking into account many small bridges that were recently washed away by the El-Nino rains have not been replaced, which is some of the areas where the funds should be used.

Alego-Usonga MP is rarely seen in the constituency, because he is living in Mombasa, where he is running and managing a chain of multi-million shillings businesses. He is being accused by his electorate of telling off those demanding for his frequent visit to the constituency. He has been heard frequently bragging that he spent a lot of money during his campaign for the seat in 2007, dishing out cash to the voters. As such, they have no business asking him to be around the constituency.

Yinda is on record as the only Luo MP in the 10th Parliament who went public in rejecting and severely criticizing the list of cabinet appointment made by President Kibaki and the Prime Minister, during the formation of the grand coalition government. He particularly criticized Raila, claiming the PM did not consult widely with the ODM MPs as required.

He is seen therefore as not being in good books with the Prime Minister, though he has on several occasions denied there exists any friction between him and “Agwambo”. But the locals acknowledge that he is an independent minded politician.

Residents also accuse their MP for having hand-picked members of the CDF, School Bursary and road maintenance funds, filling them with semi-illiterate individuals, with no knowledge of government accounting system. As such, the disbursement of funds has been so poor to an extent that many people do not even know whether such funds exist for real or just in the paper work. There is not even one single project that benefits the electorate, which Yinda can count put his name on.

Alego-Usonga in fact looks like an isolated island, a place not covered by the government devolving funds at all.

It is even worse, and sad, that the constituency is surrounded by three other parliamentary constituencies where the tempo of development is so competitively being done. These are Bondo in the west, Gem in the East, and Ugenya in the north. It has a small borderline with Budalangi, along the Rwambwa area. In all the three surrounding constituencies, the MPs, namely Dr. Oburu Oginga{Bondo], Jakoyo Midiwo {Gem}, and James (Nyatieng’) Aggrey Orengo [Ugenya } are working round the clock, and competing for development activities in their respective constituencies. Whereas the case Alego-Usonga, each time Yinda is around the constituency, he is surrounded by political goons at his Ng’iya Home, and usually has no time, even forr the elite in Alego-Usonga.

Alego-Usonga constituency was created in 1963, and its first elected MP was a former police officer turned journalist, the late Luke Rarieya Obok, whose originality was said to have been from Sakwa, Bondo, but was planted by the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga to become the MP for Alego-Usonga on a KANU ticket in 1963. The late Luke Obok was a confidant of the late Jaramogi, though the two parted the companies in later years, when the late Obok joined the retired President Daniel Arap Moi, and served the KANU government as chairman of various parastatal organizations.

Obok was detained by the KANU government, headed by the late President Jomo Kenyatta, along with other KPU MPs in October 1969, following the disturbances in Kisumu, which resulted in the massacre of close to 27 people, most of them from gun shots fired by police and members of the Presidential Escort, and MPs and cabinet ministers from Central province. Kenyatta had gone to Kisumu to open the New Nyanza General Hospital (Russia) when the Kenyatta convoy and entourage was stoned by the angry crowd, blaming Kenyatta for the political assassination of Tom Mboya.

In the general election that followed in December of the same year, the late Peter Okudo, a former member for Alego-Usonga in the now defunct Nyanza Regional Assembly clinched the seat on a KANU ticket.

Okudo is credited for having initiated a lot of development between 1969 and 1964. He hails from the minority Usonga community in Uranga Division. Okudo, however, lost his seat to a former Nairobi Polytechnic lecturer, Peter Castro Oloo Aringo in 1964. The latter went on winning a series of elections thereafter.

Oloo Aringo represented Alego-Usonga for a total of 22 year, and his representation was only interrupted in 1972, when a former Editor of the East African Standard, and a confidant of Raila Odinga , Mr. Otieno Makonyango won the seat on a Ford-Kenya ticket, beating Oloo Aringo hands down.

But just like Yinda, Oloo-Aringo had one of the poorest track records of development in Alego-Usonga, despite having served in the cabinet as a Minister for Information, Narural Resources and Education for close to 13 years. He was at one time one of the most powerful politicians during KANU rule, when he served as the party National Chairman.

It later emerged that Oloo Aringo , who hails from the Jo-Kakan, the largest and dominant sub-clan, used the numeracy of his clan to stay afloat in Parliament for close to 22 years. But he left no trail of any tangible development. He was always sure of getting re-elected, but politics of clannish was later smashed with the advent of pluralism system of politics. Oloo Aringo bounced back in 1997, but lost again in 2002 when the youthful Sammy Weya, who also hails from Jo-Kakan won the seat. And in 2007, Edwin Ochieng’Yinda, who for many years had become a perennial parliamentary election loser in Alego-Usonga, finally won the seat, even as he was shrouded under suspicions and protests that he was still a KANU loyalist and a mole in ODM.

Yinda beat the high profile aspirants like Prof. Jackline Oduol and a prominent Kisumu hotelier, Mr. Charles Odunga Mamba, who were then the favorites of the ODM members within the constituency. He is believed to have parted with a fortune that enabled him to overcome his opponents.

Yinda, however, seems to be a one term MP, as the strong opposition against him is mounting all over the constituency. He hails from the minority Ka-Mululu, within Mur sub-clans. His disappearance from the eyes of the electorate soon after clinching the seat, and making only cosmetic appearances in Siaya, whenever there is elections within the County and Municipality bodies, are unlikely to persuade the electorate or the ODM party to give him another chance.

Alego-Usonga country-side is an agriculturally rich area. The Dominion Farm Limited is currently encouraging cotton farmers to redouble their efforts, and the company has revived the nearby Ndere Ginnery. This company is paying handsomely for the cotton delivered, and it is also about to establish its own ginnery within its own compound at the Yala Swamp.

Dominion Farms Limited, owned by an American business magnate, Calvin Burgess, is also encouraging the farmers to expand to bee keeping, as it has established a honey refining plant at the Yala River plant. But all these require political patronage and encouragement at a parliamentary representation levels, something that Yinda has failed at miserably.

Alego-Usonga is conducive for production of cash crops, and for domestic food grains, though like any other areas along the shoreline of Lake Victoria, the rainfall at time is unpredictable, and falls short of, or way above the farmers expectation. But crops like maize, sorghum, bananas, cassavas, ground-nuts, vegetables are doing well in the area most of the time.

Alego-Usonga constituency regained some of its lost old glory when President Barack Hussein Obama Jr. won the US presidency, and the area became instantly famous, and well known globally. President Obama’s family tree lineage is from a small village located in the southeastern part of the expansive Alego region. The place is called Nyang’oma village in Kogelo sub-clan. It has since become the centre of attraction for thousands of tourists visiting Western Kenya from the US and other parts of the world.

Ends
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com

PM Raila Odinga takes a firm stand against Luo Politicians and their endless internal party bickering.

KENYA’S PRIME MINISTER, RAILA ODINGA COME FACE TO FACE WITH THE UGLY HEAD OF DISUNITY WITHIN HIS PARTY, AS DELEGATES AND LUO MPS COME CLOSE TO EXCHANGING BLOWS.

Writes Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City.

THE Orange party leaders at the weekend witnessed some of the ugliest seeds of disunity sowed by the party secretariat in Nairobi, as several branches sent two parallel delegates to the party meeting held in Homa-Bay, mainly to reconcile the warring officials at the branches in Luo-Nyanza.

These incidents were the result of corruptions, and lack of direction at the party headquarters, where the top official had issued two certificates to the losers of the last year party elections, at the instructions of unnamed top party leader, to ascertain his favored groups participation, despite having lost the branch election at the grassroots.

The branches affected by double registrations were Rangwe, Rongo, Nyakach, Karachuonyo, and other places.

Scores of people were injured when delegates suspected to be allied to the former area MP, Ochillo Ayacko, tried to evict the delegates allied to the incumbent, Dalmas Otieno, who is also the Minister for Public Service, by forceful means, sparking off a near fist fight. The situation was eventually calmed down when the delegates allied to Dalmas Otieno were recognized, while those allied to Ayacko were ejected out of the meeting.

Two MPs, Prof. Ayiech Olueny {Muhoroni} and his Nyando counterpart, Fred Outa were again at each other, as Muhoroni delegates allied to Prof Ayiecho tried to heckle out Outa as he was making a speech.

But the ugliest incident occurred when two sets of delegates from Nyakach constituency confronted each other. When Mr.Apuoyo, the ODM chairman stood up to address the meeting, the area MP, Pollyn Ochieng’ Daima confronted him, and grabbed the microphone. But the former Nyakach MP, Peter Odoyo joined the fray, and scuffles broke out between the two, as their supporters closed in for a fight. Daima was roughed up pretty good by Nyakach delegates.

The meeting held at Homa-Bay tourist Hotel was attended by the Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, the Rongo MP, Dalmas Otieno, who is the Public Service Minister, Public Works Minister Chris M. Obure, Industrialization Minister Henry Kosgei, who is also the national chairman of the ODM, Prof Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o, the Minister for medical Services, who is the party Secretary General, Omingo Magara, the former South Mugirango MP, who is the party’s national Treasurer, Gem MP Jakoyo Midiwo, Migori MP John Pesa, who is the chairman of Nyanza MP Forum, Rangwe MP Martin Ogindo, Nyatike MP Omondi Anyanga, Kisumu Town East MP Shakeel Ahmed Shabir, Gwasi MP John Mbadi, Karachuonyo MP Eng. James Rege, Kasarani MP Elizabeth Ongoro, nominated ‘MP Millie Odhiambo.,Muhoroni MP Prof Ayiecho Olueny, Nyando MP Fred Outa, Nyakach MPOchieng’ Daima.

Rangwe MP, Martin Otieno Ogindo set the stage, when he bitterly criticized the ODM Secretariat for having registered the two sets of branch officials in his constituency, at the alleged instigation of his former rival, who lost the seat in 2007, Eng.Okundi, who is the current chairman of the ODM Elections Board.

A request by the Nyanza ODM coordinator, Mrs Monica Amolo, that there should be direct nominations during the next general elections in the troubled branches was met with booing and cat calls. Mrs Amolo came under the wrath of Ndhiwa delegation, which seemed not to recognize her role, when she questioned the reason and rationale behind why Ndhiwa MP, Joshua Orwa Ojodeh is always not appearing in the functions conducted by the Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

But using his political magnanimity and diplomatic prowess, the Prime Minister Raila Odinga played down all sorts of accusations the delegates levelled at each othe,r and told them point blank, to recognize and work with the elected MPs.

Raila Odinga, who is the party leader, told the close to 1000 delegates that he had full confidence in all the present MPs from the region, and requested the delegates to give the MPs time to deliver the services to the electorate.

The Prime Minister, who came to the meeting after he had commissioned the construction o the Homa-Bay Mbita Road at the Mbita Point, in Mbita constituency, in the company of the Roads Minister, Chris M Obure, hammered the point home, insisting that the splinter groups must abandon their wrangling at the branches, and work hand in hand with the elected leaders in order to expedite the development in the region.

The ODM Nyanza Coordinator, Mrs Monica Amolo, who is a perennial parliamentary election loser in Ndhiwa constituency, was at pains when asked by the party leader Raila Odinga, to explained what had happened at the meeting, and why delegates were squabbling in the party branches in Luo Nyanza, and are being sponsored and instigated by former MPs, who lost their seats during the 2007 general elections.

But in a speech, which looked like a stage managed maneuver to lock out Omingo Magara from getting direct nomination to recapture his South Mugirango seat, which was recently nullified by the High Court, delivered by the Nyando MP Fred Outa, he told the meeting that ODM must ensure that democracy thrives, by giving the electorate a chance to pick up a candidate of their own choice.

The observers and political pundits alike were quick in pointing out that Outa, who claims to be the confidant of the Prime Minister, Raila Odinga was not speaking from the blue moon or the sky, but with the complete knowledge of the inner thinking of the ODM top leadership, following the recent revelation that Omingo Magara had requested the party leadership to consider the possibility of issuing him with a direct nomination.
In his address to the gathering, Omingo Magara, who is the ODM national treasurer, told the delegates that the party risked falling apart due to its seemingly endless internal political wrangling.
“We must not allow ourselves to fight every now. We will lose all our generals and in the end we shall be the loser. We must remain united and look ahead”, the former South Mugirango said.

Minister James Orengo {Lands} Anyang” Nyong’o {Medical Services} also spoke about the need for the party to maintain its unity and to stop petty internal squabbles.

The best, but hardest hitting speech was delivered by the Road Minister, Chris Obure, who told the ODM party leaders to go to the grassroots and resolve these disputes.
Obure said that, just like the party leader Raila Odinga, the entire leadership must exhibit predictability, consistency , firmness and fairness as regards to the party’s day to day management. The party secretariat came under severest criticism for the alleged corruption, which has seen squabbles in various branches, where two sets of officials have been registered.

It was also noted that even in those branches, like Karachuonyo, Rongo, Nyakach and other places where the fresh polls had been ordered, and the election repeated, the secretariat once again ended up registering two sets of branch officials. And this has been the bone of contention and endless wrangling.

Eng Phillip Okundi, the chairman of the ODM Election Board also came under scathing criticism by delegates for being party to the irregular registration of branches.
It became clear to the political pundits that the rift and divisions within the ODM party are caused by those classified as “power brokers”, who peddle a lot of bad gossips, claiming to be having the ears of the Prime Minister, Raila Odinga.

Some of the so-called “think tank of power brokers”openly express their displeasure towards the Luo MPs who can not succumb to their begging spree, and after failing to get handouts, spread deadly rumors about the so-called “unwanted leaders” MPs who is alleged to have fallen out of favor with the party leader, Raila Odinga

Our investigation revealed that some of the so-called power brokers are in reality, nowhere near the PM, and hardly meet or talk to him, but are just a bunch of common beggars, out to frustrate the MPs. But now that the Prime Minister has expressed his confidence in the current crop of MPs, this will hopefully bring to an immediate end the seemingly endless wrangling in the branches and put it to rest.

The Industrialization Minister, Henry Kosgei, who is the national chairman of the ODM, said the wrangling were the sign of maturity and healthy internal competitive politics, and might not be fizzled out so quickly. “As leaders, we shall do all that we can within our reach to ensure democracy in the party. We are going out flat to consolidate our strategies for the 2012 General Election, and we hope to have Mr. Raila Odinga as the next president,” said Kosgei.
The firm stands against the people who are hell bent on harassing the sitting MPs is considered as a slap in the face on the so-called power brokers, who operates mainly in Kisumu and Nairobi.

Ends
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com

POLITICAL BIKERING IN LUO NYANZA RETROGRESSIVE TO OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

LUO NYANZA, VIOLENT POLITICS AND NAME CALLING

Of late, your paper has reported about political quarrels that have
degenerated to near physical confrontation among elected leaders in Luo Nyanza. Some have quarreled publicly between themselves, but mainly, between them and former aspirants for elective parliamentary seats in the last general elections. This means that there have been a lot of political under currents in Luo Nyanza, that has led to public name calling, and physical confrontation, between sitting Members of Parliament, and the aspirants whom they defeated in the last 2007 elections. This also means that development agenda is not in their minds, but politics of war and defeat.

The recent public quarrels and near physical confrontation between Members of Parliament and former aspirants in their constituencies of Muhoroni, South Nyanza, Nyakach and many unreported ones speaks volumes.

These undercurrents are consequences of unfairness/cheating, inequity in party nominations, block voting and euphoria that have characterized Luo politics in the past, just to mention a few. This cheating makes the so called defeated feel cheated. and the elected, who have managed to go through, feel insecure, hence the war that leads to primitive physical confrontation in the public.

In this world when you end up in a physical fight it means that you have failed to think and you are bereft of any options. The flawed party nominations have been a problem in this region over the years. I ask for any better way to address the cause.

Such differences and quarrels of such magnitude has a tendency of making potential investors destined into Luo Nyanza drag their feet as far as economic development for Luo Nyanza is concerned. As a matter of fact, development issues are relegated to the periphery or just given lip service.

For example, the devolved funds of over Kshs.150,000=per constituency is not felt in Luo Nyanza constituencies as opposed to what is happening in places like Gatanga constituency of central province. The current issues, like the falling standard of education in Nyanza are not tackled. The leaders have not, and do not have time to explain the contents of Harmonized Constitution Draft to their constituents. What a pity!

A good leader is one who agrees to make one step backward for the purpose of peace, and makes three steps forward when a peaceful opportunity arises in due course. Good leadership is not about chest thumbing, but being humble and empathetic to the needs of the poor and disadvantaged.

So Nyanza leaders, please wake up for the sake of your poor constituents. Kenya is moving forward.

Felix Owaga Okatch

Tel:254-721-735489

254-733-735489

Email: felixokatch@yahoo.com