Writes Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City.
For the first time in his long and rewarding political career, the Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga last Saturday came face to face with placard displaying youth in Kisumu City protesting against his involvement in the mayoral election.
The youths were protesting against the re-election of Kisumu Mayor Sam Okello whose tenure comes to an end on July first. The embattled Mayor had accompanied the Prime Minister t the School’s function which was held at Nyamasaria Primary School within Kisumu Municipality.
A group of 17 Councilors allied to Okello’s rival Odhiambo Oyolo who is the Town’s Planning Committee were notably absent at the function.
The group skipped the function and were reported to have gone underground in their hideout believes to be somewhere in Entebbe City in Uganda to strategize how to dislodge Okello, The Kisumu Mayoral election is slated for July 1st.
One of the placards reads “Raila we love as a democrat, but Mayor Okello must go home”. We support Coun. Odhiambo Oyolo {Soldier} for Mayor.
More noisy and unprintable words displayed in placards unfolded at the nearby Oyile Market when the Prime Minister asked Mayor Okello to address the residents.
Raila criticized the move by a group of civic leaders opposed to Mayor Okello for displaying the placards at the function saying they were hired to disparage the mayor. “
“What can a new Mayor achieve in one year? We don’t want politician when some people hide somewhere in attempt to win the mayoral election”.
Raila’s remarks were viewed as veiled attack against a group of 17 Kisumu Municipal Councilors who are said to have gone underground, reportedly hiding in the Ugandan City of Entebbe to strategizing about how to win the Mayoral elections.
The previous weekend a group of elders led by Ker Willis Otondi the chairman of the Luo Council of Elders accompanied Mayor Okello to Raila’s residence in the posh Milimani estate and pleaded with the Prime Minister to intervene and ensure the status quo remained unchanged at the Kisumu Town Hall.
But Raila who initially appeared to be neutral referred the Otondi and Okello team to the ODM party branch chairman Dave Okwatch to convene the meeting and have the matter resolved.
The two camps later on Tuesday the previous week, but no deal was struck any consensus reached. And the branch chairman Dave Okwatch later stated that his office would remain neutral on the issue of Mayoral election to enhance democracy.
Other sources confided to us that the group opposed to Mayor Okello had ignore the ODM reconciliation effort and was determined to ensure the Mayor was ousted on July 1st at all costs.
Mayor Okello has recently come under scathing criticism over his style of leadership with allegation that he has become one of the most expensive Mayors. His critics are citing his frequent trips overseas and in the region at the expense of the Council and the rampant sales of the town’s land plots.
The Mayor’s critics says that the impending administration of Kisumu County would run into trouble because it will have no land to offer to the new potential investors.
Other accusations being level against Okello include excessive arrogance and having presided over the Council which had gone into rampant sale of the Council Houses and land spaces in Town..
During the Nyamasaria meeting last Saturday, two Kisumu MPs John Olago Aluoch {Kisumu Town West} and Shakil Ahmed Shabir { Kisumu Town East}who were also present steered clear of the Mayoral election.
At the time when Mayor Okelo was brought to Kisumu and hastily nominated to the Council by he ODM on Raila instruction he was said to be an industrialist operating in the Coastal town of Mombasa and that his being the mayor of Kisumu would be an asset to the town because his presence will attract more investors. But throughout his tenure of office no tangible investment has come up in Kisumu.
Okello was previously a staunch KANU member a leader and perennial election loser in Muhoroni constituency on KANU ticket,but only switched to the ODM after losing the Muhoroni parliamentary seat to the incumbent Prof.Patrick Ayiecho Olueny.
Ends
Raila must stop dictating to the poor, unemployed and suffering Luo community who should be in charge of their daily lives!
This guy, Mr. Raila, was given a colossal power by the majority of voters in Kenya during the 2007 Presidential elections. Instead of using that power to support, protect and help his supporters, Raila immediately embarked on destroying both the ODM party and the mandate handed to him by castrating those ODM members and the Luo Community reluctant be under his thumb and sing to his destructive tunes!
Raila, single-handedly, dismantled all ODM powers and gave the power back to PNU party, turning ODM into a tribal party for the Luo community only.
Instead of developing Kisumu, Raila has now embarked on selling Luoland to the highest international bidders, using the very same tactics he used to annihilate ODM. He does not want anyone in Luoland to cough about the destruction he is causing! Instead, he has become a one-man natural dictator in Luoland because there is no other tribe that can accommodate his dictatorial urges. Those Luos who are under his thumb have joined forces with outsiders in order to make life “hell on earth” for any Luo man or woman who does not approve what he is doing!! LUOLAND is being run by gangs whose sole purpose is to intimidate anyone with opposing view!!!
People must be wary of these councillors. the trip to kampala was sponsored by money from ODM rival sources. If the soldier boy is popular, why hide in Entebbe?, the elections will take place in Kisumu anyway. And who believes Councillor Oyollo had the money to take several councillors on a foreign trip? I wish you knew the source of this dirty money.
I did not realize that this blog is run by people who are under Raila’s spells and are determined to push the rest of the Luo Comunity over the economic and development cliffs.
These people do not understand that Luoland is the most underdeveloped part Kenya since 1963. You do not have the right to control the Luos through intimidation! FULL STOP!
LET PEOPLE CHOOSE THEIR OWN LEADERS!
Finally, PNU has succeeded in using the Prime Minister to dismantle ODM. What is left now is the poor Luo Community fighting among themselves for the mediocre resources in Kisumu District headquarter, Kisumu.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201106270405.html
The Prime Minister has taken control of these resources and would like to share them with those outsiders whose main interests are to control resources in Kisumu District and Lake Victoria region, even if that mean spilling the blood of fellow Luos!
If there were genuine developments in to Kisumu, the Prime Minister should have no problem explaining to the whole Community the nature of these developments and how they will benefit the Luo Community. Tangible developments are visible and do not require any explanation! I do not believe that people living in Kisumu District, a district that has been without development since Kenya became independence in 1963, would pose a challenge to anybody trying to bring the badly needed development.
Why would there be two squabbling camps in tomorrow’s mayoral election in Kisumu if this internationally known Mayor, Sam Okello, has brought tangible developments in Kisumu Town? Why can’t the supporting Prime Minister tell Kisumu residents what these developments are and how they will benefit from them? Could it just be that the carefully hand-picked group of friends, headed by Mayor Sam Okello, are the only beneficiaries of what Mr. Raila is talking about while the masses of Luo masses in the District are being thrown under the buses through intimidation?
Those who are not favored are being leeched through other means, like humongous ATM withdrawal charges and cellular phone bills by banks and companies that do not have a single Luo is in a position of power! The unprotected Luos, on whose backs the charges and fees are levied daily, happen to be those poor who are struggling to make ends meet by growing vegetables or civil servants and teachers whose salaries are forcefully directed to the banks. Whenever these people try to withdraw the salaries from these banks, huge withdrawal fees are levied. The Prime Minister has not raised his voice on the subject!
Last, but not least, when the Prime minister starts referring to the disadvantaged Luos who are opposed to his dictatorship as hooligans, SOMETHING IS VERY, VERY WRONG!