Report Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City
The battle for the Kisumu Town East parliamentary seat is expected to be the most grueling following the weekend declaration by a renowned film maker and media guru.
The sitting MP is Hon Shakil Ahmed Shabbir, who is the only an elected Asian MP in the Kenya’s 10 parliamentary and whose chance for re-election now looking rather slim.
The latest entry of Richard Dick Ogendo into the race has already sent a chilly message at to the spine code other potential aspirants for the same seat. The constituency is covering the most part of the peri-urban areas of Kisumu Municipality as well as parts of Kolwa, Kajulu and West Kano.
PHOTOGRAPH OF MR RICHARD DICK OGENDO, THE YOUNG MAN WHO IS CONTESTING THE KISUMU TOWN EAST AGAINST THE INCUMBENT SHAKIO AHMED SHABIR.
Ogendo 39 year old is a media guru who is a graduate of the city University in Cape Town, South Africa. He took his early educated at SS High School in Jinja Town, Uganda before moving to Cape Town where he obtained a diploma in film making and production. He was later admitted to Open University in London, UK where he graduated with a degree in English Literature, History and political science.
Upon his return home, he established a film and video production firm in partnership with other Kenyan investors before moving back to Europe where he studied business course at a University in Brussels, Belgium. In the 2007 he was among the volunteers who were involved in the behind the scene vigorous campaign for the ODM party leader Raila Odina, and even the latter declaration as a presidential candidate, which was posted in the website was recorded by Mr Ogendo.in his own studio.
He hails from Manyatta a peri-urban area which is located in the outskirt of Kisumu City. His declaration for the seat was popularly welcome by the youth and women who blame the incumbent MP for lackluster and dismal performance.
Speaking during an exclusive interview with this writer at a Kisumu Hotel, Ogendo said the area has been underrepresented ever since the former MP Eric Gor Sungu lost the seat to Shabbir whose performance is quite unsatisfactory and leaves a lot to be desired. He said if elected to the August House, he would struggle to ensure that the talents by youth are recognized by the authorities from the national government to the regional countries.
The electorate, he said, had told him that they were not satisfied with disbursement of the devolving fund such as CDF, school bursary fund and others.
Most of the CDF funded projects are either incomplete or abandoned halfway. He suspected that million of government funds channeled to the CDF and other local bodies and committee might have been lost due to poor accounting system. Moreover people nominated to oversee the distribution of the money do not understand the government accounting system. Some of them are semi-illiterate political cronies of the incumbent MP.
Schools in Kolwa, Kajulu and Kibos area are in pathetic state, and if elected he will ensure that all the educational facilities are improved, and school supplied adequately with learning gears.
He said parts of the constituency is sugar-cane growing zones, and he will ensure that the cane farmers get their dues and at the right time after delivery of the raw material to the various sugar factories within the Nyanza sugar belt.
The area lacked adequate infrastructure such as good and all weather feeder and access roads, and he would make sure that the issue of the road network is adequately addressed.
Ogndo has been busy making familiarization tour of the constituency, conducting Harambee for the youths, sponsoring football and netball tournaments in Kajulu and Kolwa.
He called on the electorate to vote for a people’s representative, but not their master or someone with colonial mentality. He is a staunch member of the ODM and will contest the election on the party ticket. Ogendo said he was very much concerned that some people who have committed serious criminal offences in this country instead of defending themselves before the established courts of law, instead they have decided to defend themselves through chest thumping in public rallies. Others were using the name of the Prime Minister Raila Odinga as scapegoat instead of facing the realities of the matter
He told those suspects in the Hague court stop using Raila Odinga’s name like a “punching bag and by so doing they are just exposing their political naivety.
Leaders who want gain prominence and popularity by riding on the back of their fellow leaders are not fit to lead a country like Kenya”
“Comes the year 2012 those politicians who roams the countryside polluting the air with pack of lies will be taught a lesson that they will live to regret because the electorate in this country are well advanced in information about the truth. And the truth will prevail. “Ogendo said.
Ends