Writes Leo Odera Omolo

The National Vision Party of Kenya has sent signals to he leaders of the Orange Democratic Movement {ODM} in Luo-Nyanza that it would not be a pushover comes the next general elections.

The party which is associated with the former powerful cabinet minister Nicholas Kiprono Biwott pulled a surprise in two civic by-elections held in the region in the recent past.

In the first civic by-election was held in Rusinga East Ward in Mbita district, in the Homa-Bay County where Okuku Miregi of the Vision Party of Kenya gave Enos Nyagwalla Odindo of ODM a run for his money. The two battle it out tin he by-election with ODM squeezing a narrow Victoria of a small margin of only ten votes.

Miregi has since moved to court to challenge the election of Odindo saying he was robbed of victory by the returning officer. He claimed he had won the by-election by a reasonable margin, but he was deliberately robbed of his victory and rigged out.

The second by-election was held two week ago in Gem constituency currently represent in Parliament by the abrasive legislator Jakoyo Midiwo who is also the party’s Chief Whip In Parliament.

Here the NVP candidate performed miracle garnering close to 736 votes against ODM candidate who again squeezed a narrow victory with less than 200votes polluting 900 votes.

It is a miracle and believable how the NVP could garner such large number of votes in region where many believed the ODM is invisible and in Raila Amolo Odinga’s backyard of Luo Nyanza.

Political pundits now say that had Biwott himself actively participated in the by election campaign by visiting he region and addressed one of two campaign meetings things could have worked differently. In the Mbita by election, Biwott had sent his torch bearer in the South Rift Bishop Daniel Tanui a former MP for Kipkellion MP who addressed a series of meetings in Rusinga Island.

In Kericho and Bomet Counties people who had briefly trooped back to the United Democratic Movement, when they heard that William Ruto the MP for Eldoret South Nyanza had taken over he party from the team that was headed by Lt. Gen {rtd} John Koech are said to have made a quick-about turn when they got the wind that Gen Koech had moved to the court and challenged the take over have now turn back to National Vision Party.

It has also been noted that the majority of the Kipsigis people did not approve Ruto’s political association with Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta. They want Ruto to go it alone and have a shot at the presidency or else they will vote for Raila Odinga instead of Kenyatta.

Uhuru however, is being crucified for the mistakes which were made nearly four decades ago by his late father the late President Jomo Kenyatta whom the community is accusing for having settled thousands of his Kikuyu tribesmen in the places the Kipsigis people consider as their ancestral land like Molo Elburgon, Njoro, Kuresoi, Londiani, Burnt Forest, Rongai, Subukia, Nandi Hills, and other places in total disregard of the plight of the indignant people who previously owned those places before the arrival of the white men.

The Kipsigis believes and maintains that the late Kenyatta’s biased decision in settling only the Kikuyus on the former White Island after the departure of the white settlers at around independence is the major cause of frequent blood land clashes in the Rift Valley and as such they wouldn’t like seeing another Kenyatta occupying State House.

They claimed the biased decision in allocating land for the Kikuyu families in total disregard to other landless Kenyans from other communities and sparked tribal animosities and enmities in the region which has witnessed bloody clashes resulting in the loss of lives.

The influence of NVP is reported to be spreading like bushfire in the South Rift region and has extended into the nearby districts of Trans-Mara Eat and Trans-Mara west.

Biwott’s party had sponsored a candidate in the South Mugirango by-election who performed poorly, but thereafter the party strength in the Kisii region is said to have moved from strength to strength.

It is only he time will tell, but those ignoring the Vision party must do so at their own peril taking into account up-turn it has penetrated its clout in the hitherto close-nit Luo-Nyanza.

Ends