IF RAILA ODINGA FAILS TO WIN THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION THIS TIME ROUND THAT WOULD BRING THE ODINGA FAMILY DYNASTY AND DOMINATION OF LUO POLITICS TO AN END.

News Analysis By Bob Ndira Uradi

IF what has been appearing in the columns of our local newspapers depicting members o the Odinga family as greedy people who are hell-bent in winning all the important elective positions within the ODM, senate, parliament, county governance and county wards representatives is true then the influence I this region may soon come to an abrupt end.

The Odinga family has dominated the Luo politics ever since this country attained its political independence in 1963 with the zeal, though not much has been achieved under the family leadership and political patronage in terms of the community economic empowerment..

Many Luos re still wallowing in abject poverty while the Odingas are swimming and stinking in massive wealth.

Discontent is building up in many parts of Luo-Nyanza following the rumors making the round that the Odinga had earmarked their own to take over various elective positions within Siaya County and to an extent allegedly positioned their political surrogates and sycophants to win the ODM party tickets for nominations in various parliamentary electoral areas.which are scattered within all the four Counties of Siaya, Kisumu, Homa-Bay and Migori.

The alleged scheme to have their own political surrogate in every elective position has raise political temperature in almost every district in the region.

A near physical combat and fist punch-ups recently witnessed at the home of Dr. Oburu Oginga’s Bondo rural home is a clear evidence of the tension which is building up around the Odinga family.

The Finance Assistant Minister who is the elder brother of the Prime Minister Raila Odinga had invited ODM party delegates from all over Siaya County to a get-together party at his country home.

The purpose this party, according to an insider was to familiarize the party officials and also to seek for their endorsement of his {Dr Oburu} as the ODM candidate for the Siaya Senate seat in the impending general elections.

The delegates, however,got the wind that Dr Oburu Oginga has set his sight on the Senate seat and is planning to relinquish his position as the Bondo MP and has since earmarked his son Elijah Abonyo Oburu to be his successor.

The delegates came to the Assistant Minister’s home while readily armed with information that his younger step-brother Isaack Omondi Odinga who is a civic leader representing Milimani Ward within Kisumu Municipality has also declared his interest in the same seat.

It was also reported that the youngest sister of the Prime Minister Ruth Adhiambo Oginga is also eying the Kisumu County governor position. The move by Raila’s sister to capture the governorship position in Kisumu City is being resisted vehemently by the indignant communities within the County.They included the residents of Nyakach, Nando, Muhooni, Kisumu Town East, Kisumu Central, Kisumu Town West and Seme constituencies.

.She is indeed considered as an outider and an imposer out to deprive the local of their right of representation by an indignant person. He home is in Bondo..

Although it is true that the entire member of the Luo community is unanimous and will their unswerving support the Prime Minister’s presidential ambition, however, what the Odinga family is exhibiting that of trying to bag each and every elective position is viewed in other quarters as excessive arrogance and greediness. Bondo constituency comprises of two major sub-clans, namely the majority the Jo-Sakwa and the minority the Jo-Yimbo group. Dr Oburu’s father the late Jaramogi Ognga Odinga has represented the constituency ever since its inception in 1963 having only had break during his years of tribulations and incarcerations when the likes of Dr.William Odongo Omamo and Jonah Hezekiah Ougo-Ochieng got the opportunity of representing the electorate n the area in his absence.

In the entire previous contest for the seat, Gideon Ochanda from Yimbo has put up a good performance and in the 2002 election that he almost beat Dr.Oburu hand down. The popular opinion now making the round in Bondo town and its environs is that the family should now give a break and a breathing space to another person to be elected as the next MP for Bondo.

Another incident occurred at the weekend when women leaders almost come closer to exchanging fist blows. It was during the burial of a highly respected woman farmer Mrs Dorkas Akeyo. J.Oyugi- Ogot.

The trouble was sparked off by derogatory remarks by the ODM coordinator in Nyanza Mrs Monica Amolo who has always been bragging off as being the one who is close to the Odinga family. Mrs Amolo was recently elected the Homa-Bay County branch treasurer.

In her address before thousands of mourners who had gathered in the homestead to give Mrs Dorkas Oyugi a solemn sending off, she turned the heat on the chairman of the Luo Council of Elder Ker Meshack Ogalo Riaga.

The erratic ODM official who hails from Ndhiwa made a grave mistake when she severely criticized the former Nyanza PDE Mrs Roselyn Onyuka who has already declared her intention to contest the position of the Homa-Bay County Women representative in parliament. She did so despite knowing that the area is in Mr Onyuka’s stronghold and was within her family backyard.

Mrs Onyuka is a woman of high profile and respected former senior principal of the various girls high schools in the region and later served as the principal of Asumbi Teacher Training College before moving on promotion to become the Nyanza Provincial director of the Education {PDE] and recently retired as senior deputy director of the education. Upon her retirement she served as the TSC director for six years.

The attack on Mr Onyuka did not go down well with the huge crowd, which almost reacted violently against Mrs Amolo, but the situation was only claimed down due to the political magnanimity of one Herbert Ojwang’ who in the confusion amid exchange of nasty words by the women confused the matter by immediately called for Harambee donations to off-set the medical bills and other expenses. This diverted the attention of the women leaders who were increasingly becoming combative and ready to take on Mrs Amolo on a physical combat. Such ugly incidences and uncoordinated utterances by someone who claims to be close to the Odinga family did not augur well, particularly at this time when the general election is round the corner and the Prime Minister himself is embroiled in bruising election campaign.

It is imperative that people who claims to be close to the Odinga family displayed some kind of courtesy and respect toward others. They need to exercise a lot of diplomacy when handling sensitive issues.

Unconfirmed rumors and allegations making the round in Kisumu City that the former Vice Chancellor of the Maseno University Prof Fredrick Onyango, who is facing stiff challenge in his elective position as the chairman of the prestigious Nyanza Club had issued a threat by saying that once the Prime Minister Raila Odinga become the President of the Republic of Kenya, the Kisumu Asians will have to pack up and go. The former Maseno VC is said to have bragged the he was close confidant of the PM. Other reports says his defeat at the members annual meeting is inevitable due to the alleged lackluster and dismal performance to the chagrins of the members, the majority are members of the Asian business community in Kisumu.

The Nyanza Club is a private members group who conduct their own elections according to the club’s constitution and have nothing to do with communal hatred or racist sentiments as such.

In his address to the mourners Ker Meshak Riaga Ogalo had challenged politicians in Luo-Nyanza o rebrand themselves and go out flat and campaigned for Rala Odinga to realize his presidential ambition instead of engaged in petty political wrangling within the Luo-Nyanza.

It has been noted with regret that politicians in Luo-Nyanza who masquerading as being close to the Prime Minister are found of bad-mouthing those with diverse opinions. Those who disagreed with them on matters of principles within the localities are being branded as sympathizers of PNU o supporters of Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto, and yet these people are genuinely supporting Raila as their man.

One MP from greater Southern Nyanza wondered as to what criteria could be used to determine the loyalty of others to the Prime Minister? The MP who had requested for his name to remain anonymous there were many resenting voices inside Luo-Nyanza about the activities of some busy bodies purporting to be working for the PM.

“The PM is the darling of everybody in this region, but some of his so called close friends and kitchen cabinet were doing a lot of harm, which if not checked could ruin his popularity.” said the MP. Adding that may be those purporting to represent the PM may just be some irresponsible opportunists working for their own selfish interest we can’t tell.

One thing members of the Odinga family must avoid at all costs is the idea of standing and contesting almost every elective position in their locality. They should leave the field open as a level playing ground for every ODM members

Ends