By Leo Odera Omolo

The weekend round up tour of his native Luo-Nyanza by the Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga was greeted with a mixed reception, coupled with hecklings and boeeing of Luo MPs accompanying him.

Odinga made a round up trip which took him to Kisumu, Homa-Bay, Mbita and wound up at Siaya town. He officially officiate in the opening of the branches of the fast growing Equity Bank.

In all the places he visited the PM was accompanied by local MPs Martin Ogindo{Rangwe}, Eng. James Rege{Karachuonyo}, the Finance Assistant Minister Dr, Oburu Oginga, Edwin Ochieng’ Yinda and others.

In Homa-Bay the Prime Minister run into a hostile crowd of onlookers who heckled and boeed the area MP Ogindo and stopped him from addressing them, though the situation was calmed after the intervention of the immediate former MP for the area Eng. Phillip Okoth Okundi.

Eng Rege who represented the neighbouring Karachuonyo also run into trouble when he told the crowd that the long awaited tracking of the Kendu-Bay-Homa-Bay road would begin soon.

Heckling and booing characterized the tour, and what emerged thereafter are the fact tht there is a tug-or-war between the sitting MPs from Luo-Nyanza and the immediate former MP who they beat during the 2007 general elections.

The defeated former MPs appeared not to have accepted their conquers and have vehemently refused to keep low political profile. The are still working hard to ensure that they undermined the incumbent.

In Homa-Bay Eng. Okundi who lost his Rangwe seat to Martin Ogindo is alleged to be actively working in cohoot with the local small time bush politician to ensure that the incumbent Ogindo had no chance of effecting development activities in the constituency.

Okundi who is the current director of elections of the ODM was last year faulted for having recklessly ordered for the repeated polls in certain constituencies in Luo-Nyanza where it was perceived that those who won the branches elections were agents of anti-Raila forced. But the results of the repeated polls only confirmed the same forcing the party/s big-wigs to introduce what is popularly known as power-sharing . In this system delegates from the rebellious branches were forced to share the powers with those perceived to be politically correct lots on 50-5- during the ODM’sNational Delegates Conference held at the Boma of Kenya..

Rangwe was one of the dozens of constituencies where the party headquarters ordered for the repeated polls on more than one occasions, but the resultant effect was that pro-Ogindo still carried the day handing the pro-Okundi a devastating defeat And the signs that the major split and division within the party still exist came to the surface last Saturday’s intensive heckling and booing of the area MP..

In the neighbouring Karachuonyo, the defeated former MP Dr. Paul Adhu Awiti, a close confidant of the Prime Minister is still calling the shots, while sitting in the Office of the PM has his PA in-charge of political matters .He has the PM’s ears and hence the persistent hostility shown to towards the sitting MP Eng. Rege by the PM whenever they meet in a public place..

Residents of the greater South Nyanza region blames the defeated MPs of allegedly peddling venomous information to the ODM headquarters, which tended to undermine the work of the incumbents. And as these kind of political machinations goes on, the electorate are the sufferer,

In the neighbouring Rongo constituency, party officials allied to the area MP Dalmas Otieno were shocked when they were unnecessarily subjected to uncalled for repeated polls, which were simply translated as meaning that the elements allied to the former area MP. George Ochillo Ayacko were favored to win the branches elections at all costs, though the electorate had different idea. The attempt to force them on the electorate failed mysteriously.

Similar secret schemes were applied in places like Nyakach, Uriri, Kasipul-Kabondo and other places making the ODM looked like a troubled house full of undercurrent and undercuttings.

The weekend heckling was a clear indication that the work of power-brokers had failed, and the residents want to be freed to vote for anyone of their own choice, but not the imposed sycophants of the PM. In some places there are parallel running branches. It is time the PM instill discipline into to his party hierarchy.

In some isolated places, the Prime Minister was also greeted with shouts about Mahing{the maize] and unga maize {maizemeals}

The crowd that turned to witness the Equity Bank branch at Homa-Bay turned rowdy. The same was witnessed at the Nundu Stadium, Mbita point and later at Siaya town, where the arera MP Edwin Ochieng’ Yinda was greeted with the booing and heckling. It is hoped that the PM had taken a serious notes over the incidences involving the heckling of the MPs and would soon prevail upon the former MPs to desist from activities that could be detrimental to the popularity of the ODM of the next general elections.

The former MPs must be told in uncertain terms that their terms are over, snd they should give chances to the incumbent to developed their constituencies where they had failed instead of undercutting the activities of the green horns MPs. And wait for the 2012 to come.

ENDS

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com

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Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2009 03:05:27 -0800 [02/16/2009 05:05:27 AM CST]
From: Leo Odera Omolo
Subject: PRIME MINISTER RAILA ODINGA HAD A MIXED RECEPTION IN HIS NATIVE HOME TURF OF NYAN ZA TOUR AMID HECKLING AND BOOING.