Commentary By Leo Odera Omolo.In Kisumu City
The recent utterances by a section of ODM Luo MPs do not add any value to Rail Odinga’s presidential ambition, and the time is ripe for the Prime Minister to tell his closest allies and advisers to check their tanks.
In this context, I have in my mind the speeches which were delivered by a section of Luo MPs during the recent tour of Kisumu by President Mwai Kibaki. And also the uncoordinated uncalled for attempt to coerce the ODM deputy leader Musalia Mudavadi during the Jaramogi Oginga Odinya memorial service at Kang’o Kajaramogi’s home in Nyamira, Bondo..
Several MPs cabinet Ministers included told President Kibaki in full view of a huge crowd to return his hand to Raila by declaring “Raila Tosha” in anointing the Prime Minister as his successor to the presidency. This, according to MPs was to be in return gesture to what Raila did in 2002 when he declared “Kibaki Tosha” at the Uhuru Park. It however worked upside down
Surely, Kibaki did not publicly asked for Raila favor in 2002, but the Prime Minister voluntarily did so in his own personal political interest. Nobody had coerced him to say so. In any case, the outgoing President cannot anoint the next President to succeed him. The responsibility of electing is based on the electorate.
If my memories serves me well, I can remember vividly well that the same cartel of Luo MPs and members of the amorphous Luo Council of Elders had invited the retire President Daniel Arap Moi at a leaders meeting. The meeting was held at the SonySugar complex in Awendo and the main agenda was to ask the Head of State to anoint Raila Odinga who by the was a member of cabinet in the short-lived KANU-LDP merger as the Minster for Energy. It didn’t work well in their favor of Raila sycophants, and the following week Mr Moi in a public rally in Mt Elgon district declared that Mr Uhuru Muigai as his favorite choice to be his successor.
Once it didn’t work in their favor, can’t these gentlemen of Parliament from Luo-Nyanza change the tact, which has only ashamed the community and find others suitable avenue of making political maneuvers. The request to Kibaki to anoint Raila as his success did not augur well and it sounded like a pure case of political naivety on the part of the so-called learned friends of “Agwambo”.
The other shameful act and blunder made by the Luo MP was during the memorial service for the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. The ceremony was held at Kang’o Kajaramogi’s home in Nyamira, Central Sakwa Bondo.Judging from the utterance of some of the MP who seemed to have been irked by the action of the Deputy Prime Minister Wycliff Musalia Mudavadi in declaring his interest and presidential ambition by challenging Raila Odinga on ODM’s presidential nomination. Raila himself has repeatedly made it categorically clear that any adult and sane member of his party has the right to stand and contest the election in any elective position. And this is what Mr Mudavadi has just been doing that. However, he was confronted with uncalled for and unwarranted attack by a section of Luo MPs who dressed him down in turns. One of the MPs Jakoyo Midiwo of Gem emotionally charged at the DPM and pointed an accusing finger alleging that the Vihiga MP was acting at the behest of external forces. Midiwo in his scathing criticism only
Midiwo it fell short of telling the ODM deputy leader that he was a “traitor and a PNU mole in ODM.”
Midiwo is a first cousin of Raila Odinga and his actions and utterances could be construed and mistaken as representing the inner side o the family view towards Mudavadi, which might not be the case. It is also not in line and accordance to the Luo culture guidance on how to treat a guest of Mudavandi’s status on a visit to the family from distant land. These reckless utterances has since sparked off protests from the Luhyia ODM leaders, followers and supporters who felt the MP had an ulterior motive of insubordination of the DPM. Whatever motives such utterances serves; it is my view that such issues should have been tackled during the ODM Parliamentary Group’s meeting. And that is the way any political party of highly disciplined men and women should be operating and functioning. Judging from what is now in public domain is that these degrading loose talks have achieved nothing tangible but has boomeranged.
Surely, that was a solemn gathering to remember Jaramogi one of the heroes of the struggle for the independence of this country, and in my view not the best forum the Luo MPs to hurled their vitriol’s at Mudavadi, who came in as an important guest of the Odinga family and joined them in remembering and prayers for the soul of their loved father.
It is also my view that some of the people surrounding the Prime Minister are only interested in retaining their parliamentary seats at the next general election, but contributing negatively towards the PM’s presidential bid.
Moreover Rala Odinga is a popular leader on his own rights. He is known by millions of Kenyans as forthright and genuine reformer. His track record ever since his active participation in the second liberation f the country is undisputed fact, which are well documented and well known to every sane Kenyans. It therefore does not require an MP or a bunch of MPs to polarize and polluting the air with mediocrity utterances.
Kenya’s politics is ethnically oriented therefore when members of one community recklessly embarrassed and harassed a leader from a neighboring community, the relations between the two communities cannot be said to be “business as usual” therefore if such degrading utterances like the one directed towards Mudavadi in Bondo were meant to appease and attract the attention of the PM then it did not work well and as such made no added value.
The Kisumu residents expected the local MPs to pressurize President Kibaki to consider the possibility of resuscitating the closed industries such as the multibillion Kisumu Cotton Mills Ltd, the Kenya Breweries Plant which has been shut down and left to rot in Kisumu town and to an extent the revival of the close Miwani Sugar Mills whose 10,000 hectares nucleus farm has since became the milking cow of the corrupt politicians in the region and top officials. The closure of the three manufacturing industries in Kisumu has since spilled out of work over 10,000 workers who were declared redundant. But the MPs got their priorities wrong.
Fishing and fish trade is another thriving business in the region, but of late there I a sharp decline in the volume of catches as the reports by experts indicate that the fish population in the Lake Victoria is on the downward trends. These are some of the pertinent issues, which the Luo MPs should have discussed with the head of State while he was visiting the region and explore how to improve and rehabilitate the fishing industry.
The sugar industry is another mainstay of the region’s economy, but of late several sugar mills, which are in the region are reportedly unable to reach their production capacity due to acute shortage of raw materials or engaged in cut-throat scrambling or the few mature cane that is available due to lack of a clear-cut policy governing the industry.
The region boost six sugar mills with four are located within Kisumu County, while two are in the greater Southern Nyanza. One of the sugar mills, Miwani Sugar Mills went burst about 12 years ago, and efforts by interested parties ,its owners the government and stakeholders effort to have it rehabilitated has run into a lot of difficulties, while its 10,000 acres nucleus estate has been subjected of lengthy legal tussle.
Ends