News Analysis By Leo Odera Omolo
The issue about the existence of political deadwoods among the current crop of Luo MPs in the 10th Parliament is causing worries and serious concern among the level minded members of the community.
The community view Raila Odinga elevation to the coveted position as the prime Minister in the grand coalition as God’s answer to the people who for many years were marginalized, isolated and suppressed by all the previous successive regimes.
But the community, which boost the largest number of intellectuals in excess is surprisingly represented in the supreme August House by a large number of politically mediocre and semi-illiterate MPs. This is shocking, especially in this twenty first century many decades after Kenya attained her political independence from Great Britain in 1963.
Quite a good number of the current crop of MPs from Luo-Nyanza are known to be incapable of making their maiden speeches in the August House due to the fact that they are either handicapped of command of either English or Kiswahili languages to communicate their views.
Local political pundits have analysed these new legislators in a negative in negative perspective saying some of them did not go beyond the primary eight standard of education and only gained the opportunities to be elected to the August House due to excessive bribery of voters. The allegation also paint the community negatively as full of people languishing in abject poverty and as such cannot a better choice of electing properly educated persons to the House.
In Uriri constituency in Rongo district, the new MP Cyprian Ojuwang’ Omolo, it is being alleged to have gone to school up to primary eight class, and was later trained in electrical mechanic course in a village polytechnic. He is today one of the wealthiest Luos after establishing his own electrical firm, and using connections in winning lucrative tenders and contracts. Omolo is said to have spent colossal amount of money in excess of Kshs 100 million in bribing the voters, and even the ODM leadership for favour.
Another deadwood is the Kasipul-Kabondo MP Oyugi Maguwanga wgho is credited that his academic standard of education never exceeded beyond Ringa Secondary School within the locality. The legislator is credited to have made his money via a lucrative NGO, which he is the CEO. The NGO is believed to have received millions of shillings meant for assisting orphanage children, part of which financed his election campaign to the chagrin of the donors.
The chagrin of the foreign donors.. He too is being rumoured as someone who cannot make a maiden speech in the House,.
The same is said about the Nyando MP Fred Outa who it is being alleged to be related to Raila Odinga through his wife. The legislator is believed to have attained only Form two academic standard, and later moved to the US on a religious scholarship to study theology, but returned home minus any degree. The MP is believed to have manipulated his connection to the Odinga family and an NGO donor funds to support his election campaign.
In all the constituencies mentioned above, the electorate had rejected a good number of academic giants and people of substantial means and settled on political mediocre simply for the lust for money.
In Kasuipul-Kabondo the electorate had rejected and abandoned the best brains like Dr. Richard Otieno Muga who is a now a Professor at the great Lake University in Kisumu City and a former director of medical services in Kenya as well as Dr. Kambona Oyugi, the Finland based Professor Dr. Otieno Mbare and other academic giants and voted in someone who cannot express himself properly both inside and outside the August House.
In Nyando the voters rejected the former incumbent Eng. Eric Opon Nyamunga, the man who is credited for having made enormous contributions towards the development of the constituency, Eng. Oyuke and Eng Omanga and settled on Fred Outa an excessively arrogant man whose academic background is questionable. The six million question now being posed by level minded people is that; Which way are the Luos heading to?
The Migori MP John Pesa is an intellectual per excellence. He was formerly the Principal of several secondary schools and later Migori and Igoji Teachers Training Colleges before retiring into a private business life. But he has chosen. To remain silent in the House, may be for some reasons best known to himself, therefore he cannot be accused of having communications problem like the others.
In Uriri the MP Cyprian Omolo spent millions in voters bribery and overcome the most educated lots like Eng. Kobado, ex-secondary school teacher with a master’s degree Okoth Obado who is now a director of the Kenya Sugar Board representing Sony Sugar zones. It defeats all the logics as to whether the Luos asre only scavenging for money, but not interested in quality leadership at the parliamentary level.
In Raried Constituency, there ius a big tug-of-war between the Uyoma and Asembo sub-clans over the place where the newly established district headquarters should be located. Previously the twio community had settled on Madiany Divisional headquartersi East Uyoma Locations. But all of a sudden the area MP Eng. Nicholas Gumbo, allegedly working in collaboration with the chairman of the Rarieda County Council Akelo Gwela have secretly and without the consent iof the all the communities involved changed this to Aram Market in Asembo West Location. Both Eng Gumbo and Gwela hails from Asembo..
The alleged relocation of the DC’s office is causing jittery. The Uyoma community argues that Madiany has all the lands available as well as water and sub-district hospital, whereas there is no land space which is freely available at the Aram Market, thouygh it is centrally located. A Massive demonstration has been planned by the Uyoma community to take place later this months.
In Alego-Usonga, the excessively wealthy MP Edwin Ochieng’ Yinda, the only Luo MP who has publicly defied Raila Odinga instruction over the Mayoral election in Siaya town is causing ripples.
Raila Odinga wanted his friend Nicholas Rajula to be nominated to the Council, though he had lost the elections to Yinda in the Alego-Usonga Parliamentary election battle at all cost. It is being alleged that after Rajula was nominated Raila instructed the Siaya Town Clerk Lumumba Ouya to ensure that Rajula is the new Mayor of the town at all costs.PM was working in cohoot with the Gem MP Jakoyo Midiwo.
But Yinda used his enormous wealth, rounded up all elected Councillor and a few nominated ones, and drove them across the Kenya-Uganda border andbooked them for the whole week in a posh hotel in Jinja
At Home in Siaya Yinda mobilized hundreds of youth who menacingly invaded the Town Hall to ensure his man Obiero Otari was made the Mayor at all costs. Rajula had, however, obtained a court order restraining the Town Clerk from conducting the Mayoral election, but the orders were ignore and the election went one. On occasions Yinda has been heard bragging that no any Luo leader present or past who can match him with money..
Yinda made his money through his marital status. He is married to the daughter of the late Eliud Mahihu, a former PC, who made it possible for him to get lucrative business contracts at the coast, especially with the KPA. For many years, he was a KANU blue eyed boy and had tried his hand at Parliamentary politics, but miserably failed dislodge the former Alego-Usonga MP Peter Castro Oloo Aringo who represented the constituency for close to 22 years uninterruptedly. He only switched and joined the ODM in the year 2007 with the purpose of clinching the seat, but has since gone solo operating independent mindedly’
Yinda’s academic background indicated that he only studied after €œO €? level and failed to score sufficient marks to go further for University education and thereafter he settled in business in Mombasa and got involved in KANU politics, which enabled him clinch government contracts.
Gerald Otieno Kajuwang’ , the MP for Mbita who was recently marooned with allegationms of corruption scandals at his Immigration Ministry has been walking on a tight rope until last week when he was salvaged by a parliamentary select committee headed by the Mt Elgon MP Fred Kapondi..
But sources in Mbita said the Immigration Minister has since changed his previous contacts and reaching him by his constituents remained a mystery.. Sources in Mbita backyard says nowadays theMP is not a frequent visitor to his constituency thus impacting negatively to his political structure
Those his constituents looking for him could only manage so by luck, but at the same time could only trace him in posh hotels in Kisumu and Nairobi while he is on his trade mark- drinking spree. In fact some of the Mbita constituents are said to be getting good services from the youthful nominated MP Millie Odhiambo a lawyer who hails from the area who is.The peole are now grateful to Raila Odinga for having considered s Odhiambo for nominatyion to parliament because she she has since become a great asset to the people of Mbita supplementing the work of a tired nd reluctant MP.
The only Luo MP with moderate academic background who is serving his people effectively is the Nyakach MP Ochieng Daima, a former insurance executive. He is credited for having constructed Sondu-Nyabondo access road, which has elusively dodged the previous MPs for the area. The hilly terrain had for many years even defeated the much more mightier colonial administration in Kenya to construct it to all wheather road.
Daima and Karachuonyo MP Eng. James Rege, though they are first timer
havealreadyprinted their presence as formidable contributors in all issues of debate in the
house. He two have joined the class of the likes of Joshua Orwa Ojode and Jakoyo
Midiwo’s class of excellent representation.
The Rangwe MP is reported to be deeply sunk into controversies involving the
disbursement of CDF money and the composition of the funds local committee while
the wassi and Macalder MPs have yet to make their presence felt..
There are a lot of murmuring about inside fighting between Luo MPs over who should be close to the PM and who get the Luo kingpins close to the ears.
The leadership is full of idle gossing, and even those who misses to attend Raila’s functions are vilified as rebels. One example is the Ndhiwa outspoken AAssistant Minister for Internal Security who failed to attend the funeral of the sons of another Minister Dalmas Otieno in Rongo. The Assistant Minister was engaged on official duties in the volatile Mt. Elgon district where the military and police combined were battling the rebels of the Sabaot Lands Defence force militiamen.
Ojode’s absent from the funeral was later interpreted as rebellion against “Agwambo” abd yet funeral ceremonies are matters of individuals and not of public interests. Gossippers are in full control of Kisumu City streets. They are found at posh hotels and in the streets making all sort of insinuations against the sitting MPs. So many power brokers have emerged since Raila Odinga became PM, and some of these brokers are even allegedly extorting money from members of the public seeking favour from the PM
It is not clear why an MP from Luo-Nyanza must attend all the functions of the PM and that failing to attend such public appearances potrayed an MP as not “very loyal” to the PM or the legislator are required to engage themselves in development activities in their respective constituencies. It is a well known factor that not all MPs from Central Province usually attends all the functions conducted by president Mwai Kibaki, but in Nyanza missing such a function conducted by “Agwambo” is dismissed as being unfaithful to the Luo political kingpin. Surely this is rather primitive and madness of its kind. What is first and paramount is that MPs must be answerable to their constituents before they do anything else. Loyality to the party leadership is also essential, but there are so many way of doing so rather than following the MP wherever he goes.
Nyanza Club a relics of the colonialists, it is being alleged is the venue of transaction. Unconfirmed reports says that a senior official with the ministry of Water who was recently ordered to be transferred to the headquarters parted with a fortune uin bribery so that he could be left alone in his Kisumu station of work despite of claims that millions of shillings meant for the improvement of water supplies to the Kisumu residents evaporated in the thin air, and the acute water shortage still persist despite the government having sopent hundreds of millions.
Resident, according to other sources are very thankful to the Water Minister Madame Charity Kaluki Ngilu who stood her ground and affected the transfers of the errand water official whose performance leaves a lot to be desired
Undercurrent gossiping and undercutting are the order of the day, but apart from Dr. Oburu Oginga {Bondo} Jakoyo Midiwo{Gem} Orwa Ojode {Ndhiwa} Eng James Rege{Karachuonyo} James Orengo{Ugenya} Prof.Anyang’Nyong’o{Kisumu Rural}.Ochieng Daima(Nyakach} Prof. Ayiecho Olueny{Muhoroni} and John Olago Aluoch {Kisumu Town West} the rest lots of Luo-Nyanza MPs have gone on holiday not to be seen nor to be heard. Only the gentlemen mentioned above are actively working with the electorate other have gone napping.
Ends
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com
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Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:40:40 -0700 (PDT)
From: Leo Odera Omolo
Subject: THE ENDLESS POLITICAL SQUABBLES AMONG LUO LEADERS LIKELY TO HURT PRIME MINISTER RAILA ODINGA’S GOOD MISSI AS MIEDIOCRE MPS FAIL TO MAKE IMPACT BOTH INSIDE THE AUGUST HOUSE AND OUTSIDE
