Reports Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City
The just concluded Orange Democratic Movement {ODM} grass rots election in Kisumu County produced shocking and surprising results in some places while it also created happiness in other places.
From Nyakach constituency, also within the Kisumu County one iron lady did the impossible. She sent several big names within the region’s political circles tumbling to the ground locking the men from the sub-locations, locations, and district to the finish at the County level.
Grace Adhiambo Akumu had joined the election race as an underdog. There were big names who include former Minister, the sitting MP and former Chairman of Gor Mahia Football Club in the race.
She is the wife of a veteran trade unionist and former CXOTU {K} Secretary General J.D.Akumu, who was a two time MP for Nyakach. She managed to lock out of the party election the former MP for Nyakach and one time an Assistant Minister Peter Odoyo, the sitting MP Polyins Ochieng’ Daima and Eng. Evans Kodera who hails with her from the same Koguta sub-location in Nyakach.
MRS Akumu who has already declared her interest in vying for the Nyakach parliamentary seat in the forthcoming genera election won the position of the Women Orange Democratic at the Kisumu County ODM branch in the violence marred elections held at the Tom Mboya Labour College in Kisumu which saw some of the ugliest incidents.
During the violence orgies, the Nyakach MP Ochieng Daima was assaulted and punched by a civic leader from Nyakach and scores of people were injured in a knife attacks & fist attacks. Mrs Rosa Buyu from Kisumu West constituency won the chairperson of the ODM Women Democrat wing.
In Homa-Bay County, the branch chair was clinched by the Immigration and Registration of Persons Minister Otieno Kajwang’ in a controversial election carried out by consensus after delegates had sharply disagreed with the mode of the election. The Rangwe MP Martin Otieno Ogindo who had earlier been rescued from the attacks by rowdy youths forcing his personal bodyguard to fire in the air was named the vice chairman; while Karachuonyo MP Eng James K Rege was named the branch Secretary and the position of the branch treasurer went to Mrs Monica Amolo from Ndhiwa.
Mrs Benedater Yambo aka Nyaseme from Gwassi became the County Women representative while Mrs Patricia Ouma from Kasipul-Kabondo and another person Mourice Aguko Mayora Jamumbo was named the Assistant branch secretary.
The outspoken Gwassi MP John Mbadi was locked out of the race all along from the sub-locations level as was his Kasipul-Kabondo counter part Jseph Oyugi Magwanga.
Looking jovial, Mrs Akumu thanked the ODM members in Nyakach and also within Kisumu County and promised to deliver. She said she was grateful for that she had had come all along from the sub-location to the County level an indication that party members both men and women have confidence in her.
photo of Mrs Akumu
She said that while campaigning in her rural Nyakach, she had come to realize that most women folks do not understand what the meaning of the new constitution commonly dubbed “Women Katiba” due to the extensive inclusion of the gender issues therein the new document.
Mrs Akumu made a pledge that she would be consulting with the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and some NGOs with the view to seeking funds for the translation of the new Constitution into various vernacular languages so that ordinary men and women could under stand what it says.
Akumu said she will thrive to work hard toward the empowerment of women economically and look for market outlets for the primary farm products.
Ends
These people are fighting each other in order to secure income and control the resources in Luo land for themselves. In order to do this, they employ vicious violence using hired thugs. They have no problem staging intimidating events in which the only people getting hurt are helpless starving citizens who they pretend to represent(forced rule by intimidation). This kind of behaviour have been in Luoland since 1963 resulting in neither development or employment for anybody else but the elites!
The only new development going on in Luoland at the moment is a gang of cattle thieves with slaughter houses they run for their friend in Nairobi!!!
Joluo, there will no development without togetherness. While bickering other tribes are matching to the top os the mountain where the sun shines. We don’t have democracy in Luo land.
We do not have to concur all the time for us to be united. The hooliganism we continue to see in our party elections are a result of inertia from the past and systemic weaknesses in our political culture.
..And democracy still won’t be there when we blindly and readily support characters by reason of association, loyalty and party choice.
Let us protect and consciously exercise our rights as voters regardless of what party or opinion leaders say or do because at the end of all elections we voters will be the ones to lose if we don’t put the right people with demonstrated deeds, men and women, in deserved leadership positions.
It is we people from the region that still lags behind in development and that which still fears practicing multiparty politics who should be setting the political and economic agenda so tangible benefit as a result of our own choices can trickle down to the levels where we are because leadership starts from us the voters.