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
Why would you associate the failures of the local Luo community, and those who represent them in Parliament, with a man whose father was just too happy to treat as a hot metal, and leave behind in America?
Failure of the Luo community to succeed lies in their willingness to talk big and never follow those big talks with bold and coherent actions. Additionally, lack of unity within the Luos has rendered the people disfuctional!
Obama is not going to make changes in Luoland fall down like Mana from heaven! The Luos have to unite and work hard for their survival, instead of expecting other people to deliver things on their laps while they are yapping big!
Still wondering why jaluo dot com has chosen to trash my comment. Are you working for some people in Luoland yet you masquarade as a news outlet? I had never thought that this outlet serves individual interests!
Dr.
You have known us for many years. We never take sides.
I do not know what happened to the comment you are speaking of. I have looked even on the comments automatically marked as sparm by the system, and I did not find any article from you. The only thing I can say is please forward it again.
Allan.
Sleeping MPs must wake up from deep slumber. They cant cry wolf yet they do absolutely zero work on development. Thumbs up for hardworking ones and woe unto the failures. They are a disgrace to the community. This time we will not succumb to ur money influences to buy us to romp to Parliament. Shame on u
There is no gainsaying that Alego-Usonga is very much backward in not only economic development, but in other social spheres as well. However, I don’t see any single individual to shoulder the blame in all these.If the buck is to stop somewhere, then it does stop with the governing authority.
The author of the above article succeeds more in passing a lacerating judgment on the performance of the Alego-Usonga MP Edwin Yinda than depicting an ailing constituency that desperately needs support.
Alego-Usonga may be backward, or headed there, yes, but not because of what the writer wants us to believe is Yinda’s undesired leadership or lack of leadership ‘software’ in him. What miracle does one want to see in a first time parliamentarian who is not yet even half way his term after inheriting a a constituency run like an animal ranch for decades? That a side, the writer is tells us very little about the performance of Yinda’s immediate predecessor Sammy Waye, who in my opinion was the most undeserving MP Alego-Usonga has ever had. The knee deep potholes in most roads in Alego-Usonga actually grew in hundred folds during the leadership of Sammy Waye.
To call Yinda a one term parliamentarian is not only disrespectful to a leader elected by the people, but also undermines the intelligent of thousands of electorates in the constituency who chose him among the several aspirants.
Most of all, it fails to sink in my head that the above article is a product of a writer I so much respect. During my school days in Uradi Primary school, I felt lifted when called Leo Odera Omolo. As a ‘student’ of Odera, I refuse to buy the above feature as it appears so much editorialized.
Hi
Have been an avid reader to Leo Odero’s documentaries with keenness for over three years now, but in regard to above material, I have few issues arising: may you clarifying most of your dates clearly, being young people and leaders of tomorrow, the historical information is very important and then with regard to exactness of info provided: is weya Ja-kakan as stated above? , I don’t know and it may not be very important but clarity and preciseness of the info you give is very IMPORTANT.
God bless you all and let us live to see our Luoland being what we want it to be; being with our pride associated with niceties.
I agree in part to all the writers above.
Im not a Luo historian therefore I’m not able to quote people and time.
Alego-Usonga is in sorry state. Our people are not united and the constituency has been declining in every aspect since i lived there. Development of our constituency is a collective responsibility, therefore, it would be irresponsibl to sit back and blame the lack of progress on our Mps.
One thing which I would like to point out is that our people need to be educated about their electoral rights and responsibilities. When one spend their hard earned money to bribe their way through the system, then for sure these people cannot be held responsible for any failures as their credibility is highly questionable at the point they are being elected. Any candidates bribing should NEVER be voted in. i remember when I was a little girl performing at Siaya stadium, Orwenjo_Umidha was bellowing through the public address system to the constituents and at one point, he said, ‘Hii ndara kutoka siaya mpaka uranga lasma utaonjwa lamu’. This is a common future of promises made by the would-be Mps that our people need to be able to question where the money would come from.
I would advocate CREDIBILITY, CREDIBILITY and more CREDIBILITY.
I agree with some of the writer’s assesments about my former constituency. I however don’t think that Yinda is to blame since he has only been there for a few years. This is a persistent and historical problem and most of blame should be directed to Peter Oloo Aringo. I don’t know much about Yinda right now but what I know is that before he became MP, he had done far much better than Aringo did in 22yrs. The writer is also wrong on some facts (1) Aringo was fast elected in 1974 not 1964 and his term was only interrupted in 1992 not 1972. (2) Sam Weya is not from the Kakan Clan as the writer has noted above, he is from Komenya clan of West Alego. His father Silvanus Weya just happened to have bought a piece of land in Nyandiwa near Awelo in Siaya where he put up his home. Otherwise they are from Karuoth clan.
This article is well researched, and those who are busy denying what the writer has said about the current Alego-Usonga MP are being unfair to the constituents of Alego-Usonga. In fact the situation on the ground is worse than this.
These constituents are being made poor intentionally by this political class, so that when elections come the politician can come with hand-outs.
Shamelessly these MPs (of Alego-Usonga) cheat even the old, orphans and widows.
It is high time Alego-Usonga constituents criticise these handouts. These constituents were “bought” by this businessman based in Mombasa and they are now languishing in poverty and backwardness.
God help this constituency out of this “MPs”
This thing is all over Nyanza province and if the community does not change its to continue for along time, many of the Jaluo dot kom readers have read and noticed other communities working with in their communities especially leaders, to help educate people, on many fronts, be it Rift Valley, Central Coast, Western but not nyanza, because they are not asked to do more with community, through patronage they will be elected, thats a given, because community does not demand their entailed services.When in the last 3 months did any one of this great web site read of saw or participated in any kind of development project of educational for the Luo communities? If i am not far off probably non has happened, its shameful that the community does not move forward economically, The leaders MPS and local Commuity leaders should take steps to spread education on projects of food production, vegetables, changing animals to dairy, Nyanza is the only progressive province in the country where farmers does not embrace x breed cows for milk! Kisumu a whole city import food from her neighbour, from tomatoes to milk, the city sustains the neighbours Kericho, Nandi , Kisii, and the rest of lower western province. In my opinion its the residents failures, the communities around Nyanza province couldn’t be happier to have a ready consumer next door. Now the co-coalition Government is dishing out fish farming technology and providing help many of the Nyanza residents are not taking advantage of this why? because they are not educated on issues of development and growth. Look at the Universities places of higher learning the province has the least, and presents of the Universities will promote jobs and economy rental homes will spring up, but residents don’t demand anything from the government. Before 2007 elections the governmet wanted to start rice project in Kimira- Oluch irrigation schemes, even if it was a campaign ploy its perfect to be demanded so it can come to life, where are the MPS/ can Mps for Rachuonyo and Oluch get together and come up with one thing on this issue to be agenda project. Let Nyanza people be serious and face reality, stop importing food grow your own and sell to your neighbours turn the tide.
Bziegnew Mugogo
******
Olirwa
Papua New Guinea
I actually do not trust at the moment these people who come claiming to be good people only to beg for votes from us.I am much dissappointed especially with our current MP mr, Inda who is doing nothing.
I personally I come from Alego-Usonga constituently in Uranga Mahero Tinga Nyamisi But I do see nothing these people are doing.
I want next time we should elect a young person to represent us in the parliament to see any change possible.We are tired and tired.
Edwin Yinda is certainly an unmitigated disaster in terms of providing leadership to Alego-Usonga on matters of Development. But give the devil his dues. The failings of the Alego-Usonga project cannot be visited on a single individual. It is a challenge that needs deep reflection on where exactly ‘the rain started beating us’ and why. My take on it is what ails Alego-Usonga has much to do with cynicism and a deep sense of malaise that is informed by timeless cultural trappings that have decimated the countryside. The people of Alego-Usonga have since time immemorial taken the slightest opportunity to flee to other more promising climes, be it Southern Nyanza, urban centres and recently rural Rift Valley.
Stephen Ouma,
Alego is one of the most potential constituencies in Siaya county and the only quandary to its development is the electorate. Poverty and ignorance have lead to election of bad leaders in Alego.
I can’t blame Oloo Aringo now, it won’t change anything. He took advantage of the people’s ignorance to lead for 22yrs. Weya made a mistake by worshiping his chief campaigner Juniour Apewe Olwanda. Otherwise he is the most outstanding leader Alego has ever had.
Yinda, in my opinion is a let down to the constituency. He brought a lot of expectation to the people cos of his money. Assuring touts that he will buy them a nissan each group and pledging boda boda groups a motorcycle each. These false promises have broken hearts in Alego. The MP have also repeated Weya’s mistake, when he come to the constituency, he don’t bother to listen to the people. He have his three foremen(he was with in KANU) after consulting them he assume to be in Alego. Another issue affecting Yinda’s leadership is engaging in councilors politicking.He wants to control everything with all his might without giving democracy a chance. The current mayor Ochiam beat his nominee to the post and now they don’t see eye to eye. Oloo never bothered councilors exercising their democracy in electing council’s mayor, deputy, treasurer etc.
With separation of powers in the new const, MPs may not manage fund like CDF and what the people need to concentrate on is the govenor and his executives since MPs main work would be legislation and other functions. Jackline Oduol can make a good MP in my opinion.
Apart from leadership, people in Alego should change their altitude and start venturing into business and small scale farming. Politicking don’t build a city. In Bondo eng and dr. Orege built a nice building there. Alego have several professionals who want to see Siaya develop but they don’t want to do want the Orege family has done in Bondo.
To Nyar Kobiloyago. Oruenjo Umidha never said what you want people to believe and without shame you add that you heard him yourself. Let me put it to you that the statement is pure political and the person was awarded damages in defamation case of 1996 decided in Nairobi High Court in 2003. Oruenjo wanted to see Alego develop just like we all want. Being a class six drop out didn’t deter him to advocate for good leadership in the constituency.
Yawa yawa mae en problem that is common in all Luo Constituencies, the leaders never represent the people they never even contribute in Parliamentary dibates. Its lack of a kick in the but, these elected officials should go to the people and hold barazas and find out what people need region need the most and start from there. Most often we read in Rift Valley and Central the Mps holds harambees and bring guests to help, because their eyes are open they have identified projects that people wants. Rege of Karachuonyo is Like his Cousin Adhu Awiti, and so to rangue, to Migori, Suba its all over and we are sick of it it got to stop.
Yawa when will we ever be united. What is the point of boasting of best brains rich people who are forever in big towns or abroad? Our people are languishing in poverty. Why cant we come up with a plan and even build or repair one road at a time. Have worked in other rural towns of other communities and it is working. Pliz guys we cant let best brains who are capable of leading be left to go like that. Without being biased why cant we vote for a woman this time. Women have proved to be more sensitive to peoples needs on the ground. Just stretch over and look at Ukambani. Are they not being freed from the locks of poverty despite what others say.
Yaye ujowagi … lets talk sense Akinyi is right lets stop these madness and build good schools and technical schools for school leaving children, for elected leaders we just have to stand firm on them not to be wa goi goi like they have been. Big brain if you are boulding other areas other than your own is no big brain.
B. Mugogo
Olirwa..
P.N. Guinea
Ohhh…. To my understanding of an’ ideal society’, communities must by all means participate in developmental ventures with their leaders. With regards to the Jaluo, i suggest, leaders be seen as as partners in Development ‘work with them and leaders to also appreciate and share with local people’. The mentality that parliamenterians work for the local people is naive. they should always look back and consult with the locals at any point of progress.
oh my my my! the constituency talked above is my birth place I left the place since 1994 and had never been there but as far as am concern I totaly agree with the reseach above 1001 percent the place is so un wellcoming and any person denying this must be only former mps or there family members coz when I read comments above these people oposing the above atticle are academicaly fit but they are not development consious people, they appear to be preservatives I had happen to meet agood number of people from alego who have made achiements outside alego or Nyanza but the message they give is Alego no go zone for people who want to excell I had always vowed to myself that even if take how long I will come back gang with individuals who had better hope, aspiration for our next generation ,the situation in Alego is so pathetic you can not take even afriend leave about from abroad but even from any part of this country ati this is my constuencyI wonder why and what formular do electorate use to elect these selfcentered and corrupt minded people I have afeeling that these people are dictatorial Now if we have to move foward we must understand these aspects
Are we selling our inheritance for aglass of changaa?
what is the level of ilitracy?
add the number of academician – the number of development conscious people.
why do we have people born in Alego doing well in life once they leave the place?
Have these people not stolen for ablind man to see?
till when will we be like this? are you satisfied with the situation in Alego?
having read some the writers sentiments, i would like to side with the persons sentiments.during 2007 elections i witnessed how the people were lured into one camp by being given huge a mount of money.They later rejected Sammy weah who was development oriented MP and who before elections was listed to have been one of the MPs who used C.D.F well.They brought in another person who i have never seen.No development have ever taken place ever since.I pity electorates who consider 500ksh during campaigns at expense of development.
Mr Oloo Aringo became a minister for the first time in 1980 (Information and Broadcasting)and was sacked in 1982 when there was a general crackdown on Luos by the Moi Gvt after the failed coup attempt.
Mr Aringo became a minister again in 1986 (Education) where he lasted again for only four years until 1990 when he lost his ministerial post arising from Moi’s differences with Luos when Dr Robert Ouko was assasinated. Mr Peter Oloo Aringo was very unlucky because the relationsghip between Luos and the Moi regime never settled to allow for any meanigful development. We now know that Moi had nothing good to offer Luos. His 24 years was a waste for Luoland. Do not blame Aringo.
Aringo would have happily brought development to the whole of Luoland had he the power. According to me Aringo is one of the best politicians luoland has produced. It is only the Moi system that was bad. The kalenjins were taking everything.There was nothing for Luos. That’s why Ouko died.
There is no Luo leader who has ever opposed development coming to Luoand. They have always wished for that development to come. It is the regimes that have been against us.
If Raila were to get power today many people would be surprised how Luos could work hard. One can only work hard if they have the means – material and financial.
Aringo should not be blamed. I absolve him of any blame.
Any group out there ready to engage in constructive dialogue that can chart the way forward for our beloved Siaya kababa?