News Analysis By Leo Odera Omolo In Awendo Town.

The newly created Awendo parliamentary constituency in Rongo district within the County of Migori is expected to bring lasting peace and an end to the bitter political rivalry between the two political giants in the area.

The Public Service Minister Dalmas Otieno and his nemesis George Mbogoh Ochilo-Ayacko will each remain in a different constituency. This is expected to bring to an end the bitter political rivalry between the two which started way back in 1992.

The newly created electoral area has now placed Dalmas Otieno into Rongo constituency while his bitter political rival Ochilo-Ayacko I is to relocate to his home turf in Sakwa East Location within Awendo district.

In the previous elections the battle for supremacy by the two political giants of Rongo has always been the most grueling and life threatening as it involved insecurity and at times thuggery and lawlessness

The propose Awendo constituency will now cover only six densely populated administrative locations, including Awendo Township which is also has a sizable number of residents.

The region also featuring the usually flash-points of tribal skirmishes between the Luos and the Maasas on one hand and the perennial border clashed between the Kisiis and the Luos on the other hand.

The new constituency is bordering South Mugirango in the east on a narrow landscape located around Kitunja and Nyamaiya.But has a long borderline with Kilgoris constituency in Trans-Mara district, Its border with Uriri constituency in the South is the longest stretching from Oyani-Masai to Agongo and Pala where it is linked to Ndhiwa constituency to the west and another long borderline with Rongo constituency, which runs from Kadera Kuoyo through Kuja River which is serving as the natural boundary between Kamagambo South and Sakwa North Location passing through Sakwa East and winding up around Maroo Market and Kitunja area.

Although Awendo constituency is a rather cosmopolitan electoral area, which is the home of many immigrant sub-clans of the Luos, Maragolis and Luhyas, the majority of the residents are arguably belonged to the Jo-Sakwa groups. This is the reason why nearly all the locations are bearing the names of Sakwas, which is potentially dangerous and could easily ignite clans kind of politics when the time for the general election comes in 2012.

Out of the six administrative locations, four of them have the largest number of the Jo-Sakwa group as the inhabitants. These are Sakwa West, Sakwa North, Sakwa Central, which has now been sub-divided into two locations.

The inhabitants of Sakwa East are mainly immigrant sub-clans whose originality could be traced to Nang’oma Kpgelo Alego in Siaya. This particular group is sharing the location with another immigrant sub-clan called Jo-Chula Waware whose origins could be traced on Rusinga Island. It is comprised of two sub-locations, namely Mogelo and Waware.

In Sakwa South, which is bordering the Maasais of Trans-Mara the majority of the inhabitants are members of Jo-Alego Mur who migrated from around Ng’iya in East Alego and settled in the area in around 1920s. It has three sub-locations of Alego East, Alego West and Jo-Yimbo commonly known as Waundha.This particular sub-clan originality is traced in Yimbo in Usigu Division of Bondo district. This particular group migrated from Bondo and settled in the area at around the same time like Jo-Kogelo and Jo-Chula.

There are also people of small patches of other sub-clans of the Luos from Uyoma, Karachuonyo, Kano, Nyakach, Kisumo, Gem, Suba, Maragolis, Asembo, Ugenya who have settled inside both Sakwa East and Sakwa South Locations.Many Kisiis had also bought farms and settled in the area, but most of them were driven out of their homes following tribal clashes between the Kisiis and Luos of 1964, 1970s and later 1980s.

In the western part of the new constituency the Jo-Sakwa groups which are occupying four administrative locations could be divided into three categories. There are Jo-Kamiyawa group who mainly occupying two locations in the Central. Others are Jo-Kanyamgony, the inhabitants of Sakwa West, and Jo-Kadera and Jo-Kakmasia, the inhabitants of Sakwa North.

Jo-Kaderta and Jo-Kakmasia are said not to be the indigenous members of the larger Sakwa group and are said to inter-related with the Jo-Chula people from Rusinga Island and therefore are considered along with other new immigrant sub-clans as new settlers, though they were the first Jo-Sakwa group to arrive in the region in 1680 and had lived along with the Jo-Kabuoch and the Jo-Kmagambo long before the arrival of the new waves of the larger Jo-Sakwa groups much later.

Although the new constituency has yet to be officially gazetted by the Interim Boundaries Commission, headed by Andrew Legale, it has run into big trouble with Parliament. Seven possible aspirants for the new Awendo seat have already sprung up gearing to go at each other throat

A young Makerere trained surgeon who is working with an international NGO in Southern Sudan is one of the most attractive new entrants into the race. Dr Edward Abwao Odhiambo hails from Kanyamgony group around Dede Girls Secondary School and he is believed to be a very resourceful person who could give Ochillo-Ayacko a run for his money.

The 27 year old surgeon, whose candidature is already causing ripples and panicking among other potential contestants, is reported to be having an attractive record of active participation in the development of the Awendo region. He has never missed a chance of making his contributions to the schools, churches and other economic projects, as well as infrastructures, in this agriculturally rich constituency. Dr Abwao has a strong blood relations with the residents of Sakwa South. His mother is the daughter of the late CXanon Ezekiel Apindi Odondo, the missionary who started both Ng’iya Anglican Missionin Siaya and later Pe-Hill Akoko in Sakwa South.

Another credible aspirant would be the current chairman of Awendo Town Council Johnson Omolo Owiro, who hails from the industrious and famous family of the late Ismael Owiro Akoko a pioneer business tycoon who single handedly started Awendo town in the early 1920. Owiro is from the dominant Jo-Sakwa KJamiyawa group and is another resourceful person whose candidature would give other aspirants hard time.

In Sakwa South Mr Jude Ayieko a senior KRA official is also said to be eyeing the seat. He has yet to declare his candidature, though it rumored that he would be in the race comes the year 2012. If he stands, he is likely going to have the monopoly of votes in the Sakwa South.

The former cabinet Minister George Mbogoh Ochilo-Ayacko is still a very popular politician in the area and as such his candidature could not be underrated. Ayacko has a formidable following in Sakwa Central as well as in Sakwa North, his home turf, though he lives in Sakwa East in the Waware sub-location and it therefore it is an up-hill task to beat him in the election in Awendo constituency. His vast experience would prevail unless another influential candidate sprung up from Sakwa East who could split his votes. He has represented the area ever since he contested the Rongo seat on an NDP then under the leadership of Raila Amolo Odinga as the party leader.

In 1997 Ochilo-Ayacko beat both Dalmas Otieno of KANU and the late Linus Aluoch Polo of Ford-Kenya under Michael Kijana Wamalwa. He repeated the same fit in 2002 when for the second time he beat Dalmas Otienoi of KANU hand down. But his fortune dwindled in 2007 when Dalmas Otienore-joined ODM and recaptured the Rongo seat from him in a hotly contested election.

Another potential aspirant, whose name is frequently being mentioned, is Mr. Jared Kopiyo, who is the Principal of Gamba Secondary School in West Sakwa. He too hails from the larger Kanyamgony groups. The other name is that of the Personal Assistant to Minister Dalmas Otieno Mr. Joseph Owuor who also hails from Jo-Kanyamgony group in West Sakwa.

Another name which is featuring prominently in the area as another potential candidate in the Awendo sea2012 general election is that of Prof. Erick Otieno of Wedco University in Kakamega, Otieno had contested the election in the Rongo seat n 2007 but withdrew half way in favor of Mr Ochillo-Ayacko. Both men hail from Waware sub-location in Sakwa East Location. More aspirants are expected to declare their interests in the coming months.

The main economic feature of the new constituency is agriculture. It is the main sugar cane growing zone within the SONYSUGAR sugar company based in Awendo Town. Residents are also involved in tobacco farming and in other cash crops such as tomatoes, sweet potatoes, banana, vegetable, coffee and tea.

The area is served by the Kisii-Migori highway, with other feeder and access roads which the sugar company is maintaining for the purpose of ferrying row cane to the factory for crushing.

Its main trading centers are Mariwa, Ranen and Awendo Town. The money circulation in the area is the highest in comparison with surrounding constituencies, though of late the cane growers have been heard complaining of not getting paid for their dues on time by the government owned sugar company based at Awendo.

They are is also prone to cattle rustling due to its proximity border area separating the nomad Maasais, Kurias and the Kisiis. This has hampered the introduction of graded dairy cows by the farmers, and people still relied on native zebu cattle for milk and beef.

Ends

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com