Writes Leo Odera Omolo In Mbita Town
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TWO prominent members of the Orange Democratic Movement ODM} from Southern Nyanza region are facing lean times and embroiled in a very tricky boiling issue which could easily lead to their being locked out of parliament comes the next general election.

Unless the Mbita MP Gerald Otieno Kajwang’ and his counterpart Gwassi MP John Mbadi reversed their decision and abandon their vehement opposition to the boiling issue connected to the renaming of their two constituencies as Suba North for Mbita and Suba South for Gwassi they can as well count themselves out of the August Hose come the next general elections.

Kajwang is the current Minister for Immigration and Registration of Persons in the grand coalition government, one of the mot important slots allocated to the ODM in the government.

He has represented Mbita a rural parliamentary electoral area ever since 1997, first on an NDP and successfully defended his seat later on LDP and finally on ODM tickets. He is considered as one of the closest political allies and confidants of the Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga.

John Mbadi a first timer whose sterling performance and outspokenness has made his presence in the August House felt beyond the Nyanza boundaries.

Mbadi who is an accountant by profession is sharp and eloquent debater who contributes a lot during debates on local, national and intentional issues, though at times he is time being blamed for acting like common “heckler” in the House when it comes to contentious issues related to the defense of his party boss Raila Odinga.

Discontent is high up in the Suba region following the reports that the two legislators are vehemently opposed to the idea of renaming the two districts as demanded by the electorate who are arguably predominantly people of Suba origins.

A testimony to the myriads of problems facing the two MP was witnessed last Saturday during the burial of the late Mzee Apollo Okeyo Omuga, who until his death late last month was the founding chairman of Suba Cultural and Development Council of Elders. He was laid to rest in a tearful sending off at his Kakrigu village home in Rusinga East, Mbita district within Homa-Bay County.

The burial ceremony was witnessed by thousands of mourners who included Minister Otieno Kajwang’ a good number of people known to be aspiring candidate for the various positions in Senate, Parliament and County governance in the region.

This did not work well, however, because the aspiring candidates who had travelled from far places hoping to be given an opportunity to address the gathering were never accorded that chance at all.

Apart from Minister Kajwang’ who should have been the host of other politicians other include Hilary Ochieng’ Alila an aspirant for the Homa-Bay Senate seat, Mrs Roselyn Onyuka who is vying for the Homa-Bay County women representative, Mrs Gladys Wanga who is also contesting the same women representative seat, Dr. Mark Matunga, a leading contender for the powerful position of Homa-Bay County governor, former Mbita MP George Osingo Migure ,Achilla Gogo who is vying for the position of the deputy County governor and Ex-Senior Chief Omolo Anditi of Rusinga Island who is the vice chairman o the Luo Council of Elders, clergymen, businessmen, farmers, teachers and professionals from the Suba region.

Judging from the hostility displayed by the mourners coupled by hostile remarks and speeches against the two MPs fro the Suba region one could simple make an intelligent guesswork that the issue is really boiling up, putting the political career of the two MPs at a great risk.

Narrating the background of Suba community in a prepared speech Mr Ocholla Gaa, a member of the Suba Cultural and Development Council of Elders who is also retired secondary school teacher formerly of Homa-bay High School referred the late Okeyo Omuga as “The Omwami of Suba”

He said the late Okeyo Omuga was officially installed as the Omwami of Suba in Mfangano Island on August 12, 2011. The installation ceremony was conducted by the Revered Omugambi of Suba Peter Clever Otieno Nyakiamo.

Ocholla Gaa who is the father of Mr Karoli Omondi, the Chief of Staff at the Office f the Prime Minister told the mourners that the journey that culminated in this realization had been long, bumpy and intermittent since the nascent of “Pinje Abich in 1948,

“Pinje Abich” then comprised Gwassi, Kaksingiri, Mfangano, Rusinga, and Gembe {Kasigunga} locations. Former chiefs Gideon Okore,of Gwssi,Kamaria Odundo of Kaksingiri,Simeon Wasonga of Mfangano, Shemekia Wakiaga of Rusinga and Damianius Ajwang’ of Gembe had worked tirelessly as custodian of culture and social organization to mobilize the Abasuba people to realize their identity through sports and building of schools for social transformation and economic empowerment of the people.

The five locations chiefs, he said in an electrifying speech, cooperated with the Abasuba leaders who were, Vincent Oloo Odienge, as the president and Samuel Okello Onyango as the secretary-general and Vincent Odede as the treasurer.

Simultaneously almost during the same period of time, the urbanized and people from Suba region who were then working in Nairobi and other towns formed what was to become the most powerful organization in later years, The Lowland Association whose founder was the late Tom Mboya who served for close to two decades as the Association’s Secretary-General.

The Lowland Association was late r to become an instrumental tool in which the youthful Suba boys and girls with lust for higher education were identified and sent abroad for further studies, some of them travelling to the US n the Great Airlift of 1959 and 1961 through scholarships secured through the effort of the late Mboya and his American friends.

“The spirit of Subaism then and now wanted recognition and respect of the Abasba identity and political space for full realization of the Abasuba socio-cultural and economic development as a distinctive community among the forty three {43} ethnic communities that make the nation of Kenya. The quest to achieve recognition and respect has many obstacles and challenges that many have taken for granted as non issues requiring rectification,” said Ocholla Gaa.

He told the seemingly puzzled and attentive mourners that the geographical contiguity with the Luo community and their earlier access to Christianity and the benefits accruing fro Christian mission education gave the Luo community a false perception that they should dictate terms, socio-politically and chart political path for the Abasuba as subordinates, adding that such innuendos led them {Luos} to derogatively call the Abasuba just simple as Luo-Abasuba.”

He went on,”Our constitution promulgated on August 27th 2010, chapter Three, part two 27 {4 and 5} of equality and freedom from discrimination, states clearly that what Abasuba people stands for is perfectly legitimate. This fact is not negotiable.”

Ocholla-Gaa praised the late Okeyo Omuga saying he had brought to full realization of Suba people and their national identity in Kenya. Abasuba people he added, have a history of their own. They have their culture, social and a political organization prior to colonial invasion and disorientation of the local communities of Kenya.

He said the Abauba people occupy a geographical space on earth. But through their altruism, the Abasuba have allowed a motley non Abasuba community to come and settle in Subaland. So far, he said, the Abasuba have no problems with any immigrant Luo sub-clans into Subaland a ha been attested by peaceful and harmonious coexistence prevailing in the region now.

The ex-teachers revealed that it was Mnister Peter Clever Otieo Nyakiambo who persuaded the retired President Daniel Arap Moi to create Suba district for the Abasuba people in 1995.The mettle of molding Subaism in the 21st Century was then left to Omwami Okeyo Omuga to carry forward without fear or favor. Any geographical entity has two points of the compass. Suba district, therefore he sad, has no exception. It must have North and South, adding, ”What logic is there for any sensible person to deny this reality? Ocholla Gaa asked amid deafening and prolonged applaud by the mourners.

Ocholla Gaa told his audience, “We know that great men and women whose ideas and leadership have shaped the destiny of the people in the world never escaped boos and heckle. In our time Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and Nelson Mandela were all heckled and ridiculed before incarceration, but the ideals they cherished and stood for have borne fruit to send the boos and heckles to the graves of shame.”

“We the Suba Cultural Development Council of Elders wishes to reaffirm here for all to hear that we stand for the ideals Omami Oeyo Omuga {the deceased} cherished and stood for. We shall not waver. We stand not be intimidated. The spirit of Subaism shall live in the comity of other communities of Kenya.”

Ocholla Gaa told the mourners that the Suba Cultural Development Council of Elders now under the leadership of Omwami Retired Senior Chief Thomas Okang’a Asango of Gwassi will work with other like minded Concil of Elders countrywide and would “wish them to joinus in unquestioned support for Hon Rala Amolo Odinga’s presidential bid to arrive safely to State Hose in December 2012.”

He issued a stern warning to sons and daughters of Suba, especially those eying county seats in Homa-Bay County to know that their vehicle to secure these elective positions is Subaism. ”Our message is clear.”

The lengthy of the speech delivered by Ochoola Gaa should serve as deterrent warning to the politicians who have been reported a having rubbished the aspiration of this minority community whose stance could wreck havoc with the ODM.

In Suba region mainly in two districts of Gwasi an Mbita the registered voters could be in the region of between 75,000 and 80,000, but the community is well spread in all other Counties. For example it occupied the largest portion in Migori district and its members are scattered in all the districts of Rachuony North,Rachuonyo South, Rongo, Awendo, Uriri, Nyatike, Ndhiwa, Rangwe and other places. A combined voting strength of the Suba people could be moderately be estimated at between 250,000 and 300,00o strong In the entire Southern Nyanza region.

In the relevant Minister Otieno Kajwang’ was quoted by the STANDARD as having told the funeral gathering in Rusinga Island that the me of his constituency will never be changed under all the circumstances come what may. But the newspaper story has some kind of discrepancies. Kajwang’ might have spoken to the STANDARD reporter elsewhere but not in the funeral home were he had no chance of even greeting the crowd.

He came I with a lorry load of ODM youths an close to 25 policemen in full, uniform and his arrival caused commotion in an already tension charged funeral gathering. But the Minister who came happily flushing his fly which had his mood changed abruptly after realizing that the place was hostile to hi anti-Suba stance, and sat pensively at the dais hardly exchanging conversations with anybody.

The Minister never uttered even one single word at the funeral except he bitterly complained at the inflammatory speeches made by the University Students from Suba region who had spoke early and scathingly criticized his leadership.

Kajwng’ might not feel the weight of the Suba people’s opposition to his political leadership because he ha switched from defending his parliamentary seat and he is now eying for the Senate seat. In the contest for the Senate, the Minister will go out flat in canvassing for votes in all the eight constituencies and could even win the seat with the vote from other region outside Suba.

But the position of his friend and colleague John Mbadi {Gwassi} would remain threatened a he is said to be content in defending his seat.

Ends