From: Leo Odera Omolo
Date: Sun, Oct 4, 2009 at 9:01 AM

LUOS TOLD TO CHANGE THEIR ATTITUDE FROM ELECTING POLITICALLY MEDIOCRE LEADERS UNDER EUPHORIA AND CHOOSE THE FUTURE MPS WISELY.

News Analysis By Leo Odera Omolo In Awendo Town.

THE electorate in Luo Nyanza were at the weekend urged to change their attitude of electing hero worshipers and politically mediocre leaders, and choose wisely when voting for their next Mps.

“Development in many parts of Luo-Nyanza has lagged behind in comparison with what has been achieved by Kenyans in other regions. This is due to lack of effective representation of the community in most of the policy and decision making organs in this country”. These remarks were made by a prominent Nairobi businessman, Mr. John Bob Awiti-Otange, during the burial of Mr. John Omuga Atieno, a former employee of the Department of Mines and Geology at Nakuru, who passed away a week ago.

The funeral took place at Ong’ora Nyasawore, Kamireri village in Central Kanyamkago Location, Rapogi Division, Uriri district.

Mr. Awiti-Otange reminded the hundreds of mourners that it has been 46 years since Kenya gained her political independence from Great Britain, yet the people of Luo-Nyanza region have been neglected and marginalized by the previous KANU regimes. “Kenyans in Luoland feel that they have been short-changed and let down by politicians and members of the rulings class”, he added.

He said during the reign of the founding father, the late President Jomo Kenyatta, the Luos lost one of their most illustrious sons and a master politician in the name of Tom Mboya, who died in a hail of bullets from a politically motivated assassination in 1969. To-date, no one has ever been brought to book, especially those who conspired together and masterminded the killing of Mr. Mboya, who was only aged 39 years at the time of his death.

In 1975, the gang of political killers struck again when they murdered the former fiery Nyandarua North MP, the late J.M Kariuki. And once again, his killers escaped Scot free.

In the year 1990, the Luos were once again plunged into the morning mood, following the grisly murder of the former Minister for Foreign Affairs, the late Dr John Robert Ouko, perhaps the most eloquent politician and the best Foreign Minister Kenya has ever had. Dr Ouko died during the reign of the retired President Daniel Arap Moi. But to date, nobody has ever been brought to book to answer the charges of this most disturbing murder. The very people who killed Ouko are still moving freely in this country, controlling the political scenario using remote control.

“These sacrifices have become too much for Kenyans, especially the Luos, to bear and the time is ripe for stringent legislation to be put in place that can deal squarely with the master minds and conspirators of these series of political assassinations”, He said.

Mr. Awiti-Otange faulted the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission, under the retired High Court Judge Aaron Ringer, for having failed to deliver, though its members were paid exorbitantly. The perpetrators of a series of cases of serious economic crimes such as Goldenberg move in and out of Kenya freely without being punished by the law of the land.

He also cited some parliamentary electoral constituencies as lacking effective representation in parliament. “These are the areas where semi-illiterate persons were voted into Parliament under the euphoria, but the gentlemen who clinched the seats have taken them religiously, and are sitting in the August House without uttering even one single word in the interests of the electorate, not even making their maiden speech. It is shame that these kinds of MPs should be allowed by the electorate to sit inside a modern Kenya’s Parliament, whereas the country has better educated people in excess of its requirement. The electorate need to settle down and pick up only those who are capable of articulating their causes in the House”.

“Kenyan are still yet to win the war against the three diseases, namely ignorance, poverty and diseases, which our forefathers fought and sacrificed their lives for. Instead of enjoying the fruits of independence, thieving and corruption has taken the centre-stage with impunity”, he said.

Ends

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com
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Subject: luos Warned Against voting for politically mediocre MPs in Modern Parliament