Writes Leo Odera Omolo.

There are a number of political turn-coats working with those politician hell bent on derailing Raila Odinga’s presidential ambition comes 2012.

“These saboteurs usually drives back to their rural constituencies while masquerading as potential aspirants eyeing several parliamentary seats in the impending general elections. Some of them, however, have turned out to be agent and political surrogates of the former Cabinet minister and one time Rarieda MP Raphael Tuju”,said a party leader in Homa-Bay.

As much as we would welcome everybody seeking for any elective position ether in the County, Parliament, Senate and even County representatives, we shall ensure that political turn-coats or anyone working in cohort with politicians who are on record of having been classified as hostile to ODM and its leadership are locked out.

Rumor making round have pointed out an accusing finger to four well known politicians as hose allegedly working in cohort with Tuju. Featuring prominently are the names of one George Ogalo Oner who is working with the Kenya Rd Cross in Nairobi. The man of late is said to be very liquid and sending extravagantly some colossal amount of money not less than Kshs two million in every two weeks.

Another name the ODM leader have mirrored on is that of Jack Nduri, the party’s Karachuonyo branch chairman, and one Everest Okambo, who is a businessman in Narok. Okambo is reported to be eyeing Rangwe seat and so is Ogalo Ner. Nduri is eyeing the Karchuonyo seat currently held by the incumbent Eng James Rege.

Another name mentioned as part of the larger group of Tuju’s moles in ODM is one Tom Were a businessman in Nyatike, who is also eyeing for Nyatike seat currently held by h abrasive youthful Edick Omondi Anyanga.

When Raphael Tuju declared his presidential candidature he did not mention any specific political party as his host. But a rumor making the round inside Luo-Nyanza is that the former Foreign Affairs Minister has established a formidable network, which is capable of smashing the invisibility of the ODM.

The party spokesman in Homa-Bay revealed hat ODM is closely watching the movement of a number of its own party officials suspected to be working with either Tuju or the Eldoret North MP William Ruto and would soon expose their names for the public to scrutinize.

We have put in place a team of intelligent people who are conducting surveillance on the activities of our member and leaders suspected to be applying double standards, and whose loyalty.

“We are also trying to trace up the source of funds, which has made some people who several months ago could not even afford a cup of tea have all of sudden become millionaires over night.

Meanwhile the ODM Coordinator of Youth Hilary Ocheng’ Alila who returned home last week after being away for close to one month has told ODM members and leader in the greater Ends

Southern Nyanza to volunteer into conducting civic education among the rural folk and urged those who have yet to register as voters to do so.

He said although our people loved our party chairman Raila Oding, but the only weapon we could use to fight for him and elevate him to State House is to ensure he is elected the next President of the Republic of Kenya is by way of urging our people to register as voters I n their respective constituencies.

Alila strongly denounced the G7alliance as a bunch of politician thriving on malice. Some of them have run bankrupt of idea and are only waiting for the Prime Minister Raila Odinga to say something then the sycophantically get the agenda to issue rejoinders.”These people have nothing to offer to the public about the future of this country and its people. Their main occupation is use Raila’s name whenever they opened their big mouths,”he said.

Ends

Writes Leo Odera Omolo In Kericho Town.

For the second time in the political history of Kericho region two brothers-in-law are once again in the race in the contest for the lucrative position of the Kericho County governor.

In the 2002 general election, Charles Keter, then a newcomer in Kericho politics stood against his brother-in-law Chale Kirui who was then serving as the Finance Assistant Minister in the last KANU regime of the retired President Arap Moi and MP for Belgut.

Keter triumphed over Kirui in a bruising election victory which has left a permanent scar in the two families. Keter ids married to Kirui’s younger sister.

This time around Keter again will be in the race for the lucrative position of the Kericho County governor against Joel Kirui the younger brother of Charles Kirui who is n international economist running chains of businesses in both the UK and Kericho.

The Kericho County governor position has attracted some of the best brains and political personalities in the region which stretches from Londiani to Sotik about 50 kilometers in length.

Among the leading contenders is Eng.Kipng’eno Arap Ng’eny, the former Minister for Water Development in the last KANU regime of the retired President Daniel Arap Moi. Ng’eny is still being remembered as having served the country for many years as the most successful Postmaster General and later the Managing Director of the Kenya Posts and Telecommunications and also at one time as Permanent Secretary.

He ventured into parliamentary politics after retiring from the postal services in 1997 and becoming the first MP for Ainamoi constituency after it was curved out of the larger Belgut.

Ng’eny, however, lost his seat to the former CID Director Noah Arap Too in 2002 and has since concentrated in running and managing his vast investments in Nairobi, Kericho, Kuresoi and Kipkellion. He has also converted the former Mid-West Hotel, which for many years was one of the ultra modern hotels in Kericho Town into a privately managed Teachers Training College.

Charles Keter is said to be in the process of abandoning his Belgut parliamentary seat for the governorship race.

Other aspirants said to be in the race eyeing the same position include two senior university lecturers. They are Prof.Paul Chepkwony of Moi University, Eldoret and Dr. Malawi, a senior lecturer at the Eggerton University in Njoro.

Prof Chepkwony is not a new comer in Kericho politics. He contested for the Ainamoi parliamentary seat in 2007 and lost to the late David K Too. And again in the by-election that followed the accidental death of Tooin a shooting incident and came second to Too’s younger brother Benjamin Lang’at.

Also in the race is Jonah Keter, a former top manager with the Catering levy Trustee who had also served the tea farmers in the region as a member of the Tea Board of Kenya.

But the man to watch in this race is Sam Chepkwony the current chairman of the tea Research Foundation. He is a former secondary school teacher who had also served with the Brooke Bond Flower Company {Sulmac} in senior managerial position before he ventured into a chain of businesses within Kericho Town and large scale tea farming.

Chepkwony was until recently the chairman of the Kericho Water and Sewerage Company. He is said to be a very influential man within the Kericho business fraternity.

The bilingual Eng. Ng’eny who speaks fluently all the local vernacular languages such as Ekegusii, Dho-Luo and major foreign language Russian and German included has a head-start owing to his proven managerial capability going by his track record of development I the region. . But he will be pitted against the dot com generation. All the other aspirants are people in their late thirties and early forties.

While heading the Kenya Posts and Telecommunications Eng Ng’eny had facilitate employment opportunity for the Kipsigis youths, most of them are said to still serving with the parastatal in senior capacities, He is known to have been close to the ears of the retired President Daniel Arap Moi.

As far as political party choice in this region, ODM is still ahead of the rest followed by KANU and he struggling UDM, which its leadership is the subject of the legal tussle between the former Deputy CGS Lt.Gen {rtd] John Koech and the Eldoret North MP William Ruto.It is not yet know as to how long will the protracted court battles will take before the issue is resolved and the matter put to rest.

Kericho is one of the richest Counties in the South Rift, having close to 40 large scale tea estates and factories owned by foreign multinational companies. It is the single largest region which has employed many young Kenyans both in the labor force and skilled personnel sections.

These county’s political gravity is always rotting within the tea industry, but the region has other openings like dairy industry, sugar cane, maize, vegetables, beef, pyrethrum, coffee, bananas, bee-keeping and honey are other sources of the resources.

The retired President Daniel Arap Moi is still wielding a lot of political clout among members of the Kipsigis sub-tribe of the largest Kalenjin ethnic groups. His word is still obeyed like the law of the land, and the outcome of the next general election will depend on which side has Moi’s blessings. The general public seemed to have a lot of trust in the retired former head of state than the youthful politicians.

Ends

Reports Leo Odera Omolo

The last week’s announcement by Mrs Grace Adhiambo Akumu that she would challenge her male opponent in the contest for Nyakach parliamentary seat come the next year’s polls has received a big boost at home.

A group stakeholders who converged at Pap Onditi in lower Nyakach on Monday unanimously resolved to give Mrs Akumu a trial. “Nyakach needs a change in its political stewardship after nearly forty five yeas of mael representation”, membors of the group said.

The group called for a fair nomination system, in the ODM, to be put in place so that the playing ground is leveled for all the players including female aspirants. And in the next preliminary elections, nominations be supervised by the officials from the government electoral body.

Led by their spokesman Ben David Okoth said Nyakach has had six different representatives ever since the inception of the constituency in 1966. But all have failed to offer the residents any effective representation in the national Assembly and also in the government.

The seat was created in 1966 following the abolition of the tri-cameral parliament. Which include the Senate and Regional Assembly under the Lancaster House constitution of 1962.

The first MP was Ondiek Chilo Miguda, a former member of the Nyanza Regional Assembly, who had just succeeded the late Senator D.O. Makasembo who represented Central Nyanza district, then perished In a road accident. And following the abolition of both the Senate and Regional Assemblies, a new constituency was created to absorb the Senator like it was the case in all other 42 districts country-wide.

Chilo, along side the leader of the defunct KPU opposition party, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, were detained following Kisumu disturbances of 1969. In the general election that followed the same year, a veteran trade unionist, J.D. Akumu, was elected the new MP and became he second MP for the area. Akumu did not finish his five year term. He moved to Accra, Ghana to become the founder Secretary General of the Organization of African Trade Union Unity {OATUU}.

In the 1974 general election Kisumu base business magnate, Samson Odoyo, who had also served as the Kisumu Mayor briefly, won the election and became the third MP for Nyakach. Five years later, Odoyo in 1979, was dethroned by his cousin and his former Town Clerk, Ojwang’K’Ombudo, who successfully retained his seat in 1983 and 1988. K’Ombudo had also served briefly in the cabinet as the Minister for Water Development in h last KANU regime led by the retired President Daniel Arap Moi.

But in the 1992 general election, K’Ombudo was ousted by by the veteran trade unionist, J.D.Akumu, who had teamed up with Jaramogi Oginga Odinga in Ford-Kenya party. This was the first multi-party elections after the abolition of the monolith one party system and the introduction of multiparty system. Akumu was ousted by Peter Odoyo in 1997 who successfully defend his at in 2002, but was later dethroned by Polins Ochieng’ Daima in 2007.

This writer interviewed a cross section of Nyakach residents, who were of the opinion that the time is ripe for the area to have a female representative in the August House.

“Our previous MPs who have been all male were a big let down, and it would be good for us to try a woman with high profile like Mrs Akumu. As a mother her candidature is most welcome. If voted in as the new MP Mrs Akumu would definitely change the path of local political derby in Nyakach and we expect hr to take care of the orphans, widows and youths,” said Bob Ojwang’, who said he was an ODM official n lower Nyakach.

Mrs Akumu contested the same seat in 2007 and was third place after Eng Kodera and the winner Ochieng’ Daima. She beat a number of men contestants, but this time around she has been assured of an overwhelming support.

Nyakach is an area with myriad of problems and need a high profile woman representative Mrs Akumu’s calibre.

These problems include perennial flooding of its lower pats, poor crops husbandry which has led to incessant acute shortage of food grains due to poor planning, insecurity cause by cattle Sondu town, a number of youths have declared their support for Mrs Akumu and vowed to campaign for her.

ENDS

Reports Leo Odera Omolo.

TENSION was charged and political temperature rose to the highest peak when the two strongest contestants for the lucrative position of Homa-Bay County governor met for the first time .

The political temperature rose and the otherwise peaceful fund drive meeting almost got marred by the arrival of political goons ferried to the meeting venue by one of the aspirants for Kasipul-Kabondo parliamentary seat for the alleged purpose of “heckling and shouting against the incumbent MP Joseph Oyugi Maguwanga who did not show up.

The aspirants for the governorship position were former Marie Stoppie Clinics Country Director Cyprian Otieno Awiti,and the Microsoft executive Dr. Mark Matunga.

Awiti was the chief guest, and at one point in time almost lost control of the rowdy youths. The youths were alleged hired and ferried into Oyugis town from Kachien location about six kilometers south-west of Oyugis Town.

Most of the rowdies appeared to have been excessively intoxicated with the illicit “Chang’aa” and were shouting aimless as they menacing approached the venue of the meeting.

The aspirant who is allegedly to have imported a mobile crowd into Oyugis town and the rowdy youths is Were Ong’ondo who is a running his own clinics in Meru in Eastern province, and is challenging the incumbent Joseph Oyugi Mguwanga for the Kasipul-Kabondo seat comes the next general election.

Dr Matunga who was on his way en-route to Kosele to attend the funeral of the mother of a Mr. Aduke, another parliamentary aspirant in the area, just stopped and dropped in at the venue.and found it invaded by rowdy youths involved in the shouting match to the top of their voices. He tried in vain to calm down and dished out some money thinking it would come them, but to no avail..

Also in attendane were Muhoroni politician James Onyango Koyoo, Rachuonyo North ODM branch chairman Jack Nduri.

Rumor making the rounds within Oyugis Town and its environs that Awiti and some of his friends have been fronting for the incumbent MP Maguwanga and wanted him to be re-elected come 2012 was refuted by Awiti who called for peaceful campaign and responsible utterances in p[public on the parts of leaders.

He said he and Dr.Matunga would battle it out for the governor position and it was up to the electorate to make their own choice as who is best suited to represent them. This is their {voters’} democratic right and does not entail the two to be enemies.

Awiti said that every candidate should account for his past contributions in terms of socio-economic development projects. And also what he has been doing to assist the down trodden Wananchi …

Matunga said that Homa-Bay County could be one of the richest counties in the country if the proper people with most suitable academic background are chosen to guide the institution. It will require someone with both national and international contacts, because the government annual grant will not be sufficient to run the most expansive Counties in the region. Someone should be there and who can successful in raising funds from Kenya’s development partners and international financial agencies because the government annul grant will not be sufficiently enough to run and managed the most expansive County in the region.

It was alleged from certain quarters that Awiti had been working on a formula to make successful appeals to the international financial institutions and / or partners to bring the money for the region’s development.so that he can stamp his authority in Homa-Bay County and had already single out loyal politicians under his patronage whom he want to represent the eight constituencies in the count…

It is said that in the larger Rachuonyo, Awit,i is grooming an inexperience junior, Banker Nicholas Koriko, for Karachuonyo constituency, while at the same time he is backing the perennial election looser Prof.Richard Muga for the newly created Kabondo constituency. And in Kasipul he has narrowed on the ever colorless Magwanga to carry on with the mandate for another five years.

Another unfounded allegation holds that Cyprian Awiti, who is aspiring for Homa-Bay county governorship, had conspired to combine force with Magwanga in co-ordination with an authoritative head of provincial administration in the area and their mercenaries during a fund raising function at the Oyugis Catholic church to undermine their opponents in Kasipul.

Among those targeted by Cyprian’s team was an ODM political heavy weight in Kasipul .Charles Ong’ondo Were.

Were, who is a Meru based business magnet, and his political think tank, have given Magwanga a sleepless night. He has also refused the patronage of Cyprian a thing that had made the two politicians jittery

It was further alleged by one Jamumbo Auka Mayora, an ODM activist and youth leader, that Awiti had conspired with those who were to attend function that include Koriko, Muga,Onyango Koyoo among others, Cyprian had said he wanted to prove to those who are opposed to his choice in Kasipul that he still command the unrivaled political and financial power in the region. He mobilized and paid hecklers through the area Mp but the youths took the money and demanded more.

It however, emerged that these allegations against Awit were unfounded and only the fertile imagination of Jamumbo Aguko Mayora, about who it is further being said is allied as a political hirling and surrogate of Were Ong’ondo.

On learning that their plans had failed, Magwanga decided to stay indoors, choosing to monitor the event through his proxies. Cyprian arrived incognito as the tense condition forced him to abandon his heavy duty vehicle and boarded a taxi,According to an article, authored by Jamumbo Aguko Mayora,.the crowd blocked another aspiring governor Dr.Mark Matunga who was also heading to the same function mistaking him to be Cyprian.Matunga who later left for the burial of Enock aduke’s mother in Kosele. Aduke is aspiring for the seat of senate in the Homa-Bay

Ends