From: Leo Odera Omolo
Date: Tue, Nov 3, 2009 at 4:44 PM
News Analysis By Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City
SNUBBED by Luo MPs the previous week, the embattled Minister for Agriculture, William Ruto, had a very successful tour of greater Southern Nyanza, from Homa-Bay to Ndhiwa district. Present were Martin Ogindo {Rangwe} and Joshua Orwa Ojode {Ndhiwa} and the host.
Ruto’s low keyed visit to Kisumu City the previous week, was to attend the meeting of Chief Executives, directors of the sugar companies and stakeholders in the sugar industries, to chart the way forward for the privatization.
All the MPs from the region kept away from this important meeting, which was held at the Tom Mboya Labour College. Perhaps this was due to the belief, held by many people in Luo Nyanza, that Ruto is the one person who is trying to rock the ODM boat from within, owing to his much touted presidential ambition in the year 2012, and as such posing threat to the Luo political kingpin, the Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
But while addressing an enthusiastic crowd in Ndhiwa, Minister Ruto steered clear of the presidential candidacy issue, despite the provocation by Ogindo and Ojode, who pleaded with him to continue supporting Raila’s quest for the Presidency, and a promise that the community would back him in any future presidential election after Raila..
Ruto, however, presided over a very successful fund raising meeting in favor of a local SDA church. A total of Kshs 2.6 million was realized, with the Minister making a personal donation of Shs 400,000, while the host, Orwa Ojode, who is an Assistant Minister for Internal Security, brought shs 260.000.This included a donation of shs.50,000 from the Mumias CEO Dr. Evans Kidero, the Marie Stopple Clinics country director, Cyprian Otieno Awiti , gave Shs 50,000, Karachuonyo MP Eng. James Rege shs40,000 ,Assistant Minister for Trades and MP for South Mugirango gave shs 20,000.
In his public address, Ruto touched other issues, like the much expected constitutional and law reforms. He said contentious issues in the new draft constitution should be identified in time and before conducting a memorandum, adding a word of advice to the committee of experts on constitutional review to ensure that all the loopholes were sealed off.
“Before we go to approve or reject the revised new draft constitution, all the conflicting. issues have to be separated”, said the Minister.
Turning on the sugar sub-sector of the economy, Ruto disclosed that all the sugar factories will be privatized by May next year. The envisaged privatization, he added, would inject not only new investments but also new technologies.
Ruto however, regretted that the current woes in the sugar industry was as a result of poor leadership by managers of the sugar companies. The government, he said, is committed. to making sugar cane farmers more profitable as opposed to the current situation where farmers are being made poorer,
The government also cannot escape the blame for the mess in the sugar sub-sector of the economy because of poor policies by the previous regimes, he said. He expressed the hope that the nearby Sony Sugar Company based at Awendo, which is producing between 2,500 and 3,000 bags per day would be in a position to scale up its crushing capacity to between 9,000 and 10,000 per day.
Over mature cane crops is all over within Awendo sugar belt, and this is because of Sony Sugar inability to harvest all the mature cane, due to its low crushing capacity, and the sooner the company privatized the better.
An invitation was extended to him by the Ndhiwa MP, Joshua Orwa Ojode, to come back before the end of this month, in order to officiate at the ground breaking ceremony for the new multi-billion shillings white sugar factory, which is to be constructed at Kanyidoto, within Ndhiwa district.
Ojode said the area was blessed with good rainfall, a lot of fertile land ,which is laying idle and mostly conducive for sugar cane growing as cash crop as well as growing other domestic food grains.
Ends
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com
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Subject: SNUBBED BY LUO MPS IN KISUMU THE PREVIOUS WEEK, MINISTER WILLIAM RUTO MADE A TRIUMPHANT ENTRY INTO GREATER SOUTHERN NYANZA LAST WEKEND.
I have read Leo’s report on Hon. Ruto’s tour of both Kisumu and southern Nyanza; I suppose I read the same report in one of our daily newspapers a while back. However, I have not had a chance to make any comment though I had strongly felt the need to question this incessant penchant for absentism of Nyanza MPs in any forum with the agenda of Nyanza development. It’s wrong for Nyanza to continue producing leaders who are anti-development; whose participation in any development forum in Nyanza must be directed by the party’s top leadership. There is a serious need for the professionals, academics and the general Nyanza electorates to become more vociferous and start demanding meaningful representation.
How do you explain the character of leadership in Nyanza when they abscond such an important meeting by the agriculture minister. I think the meeting on privatisation had alot of benefits for the people of Nyanza – which the leadership in Nyanza should have seized to articulate the immediate concerns of our people in Nyanza. The problem with some leaders in Nyanza has been where to draw the line between politics and development; balancing loyalty with our regional development. Democracy gives all of us the freedom to move freely and sell our ideas freely in a free society. As I have been made to understand, Ruto has been in Kisumu in his capacity as minister for agriculture. That visit called for total cooperation of all leaders in the region. I’m happy that in southern Nyanza, he was accorded great audience. That is what democracy is all about!
Sometimes we have been at pains reading the reactions of Nyanza MPs on some political issues. For example, a mere expression of interest in the presidency does not require a barrage of criticisms like what we have read recently in the newspapers. We must understand and your conscience should guide you on this one – we are no longer in a one-party state. The one-party mentality has seriously ruined the economy of Nyanza. If you doubt the veracity of this argument then just look at our neighbours the Kisii (multi-people); Luhyas (multi-P) and the list continues. Just compare their development record with that of other parts of Nyanza. Again compare how many of their people wields power in some of the corporations and corridors of power in Kenya. I think time is more than ripe for Nyanza people to wake up to the current realities without without resorting to the old-tired shenanigans that have not helped our lot. Let anyone who want to seek the presidency do so without vilification. Afterall, Ruto was Nyanza’s hero the other day. What the people of Nyanza should realize is that the people of rift valley gave us their total support that has no precedent in Kenyan political history. They have shown that they can work with us – don’t destroy that relationship because of the pursuit of narrow selfish interests. I still have memories of people running away from the trouble spots such as Naivasha and how the people of rift valley supported them to reach Nyanza. Don’t burn the bridge after using it – others may want to use the same bridge in future!
Otieno Mbare is a research fellow and senior lecturer in Finland
I think that at this time our mps should also live us with homework to think and judger.They should fix their minds on development.
Infact the more they continue doing such things like isolating a leader simply because he owns a diferent opineon from theirs,the more they continue dividing us and that preaches morethan ever.
To me all these our leaders are able but what we have to know is that all are democraticaly able but only one at atime.
On the other end utterences such like the one mr. W.Ruto uttered (we suported the loosers )this could mean alot to the common cityzen,in other words his tribe suported the looser tribe.
I conclude by saying that these our leaders should give us time to think and make good choise.
I think in 2012 Raila might have a chance.If the New pan afric alliance of ruto, kalonzo and uhuru holds with those who supported the mau harambee. Raila Odinga,Mudavadi and Peter Kenneth can win .Lets see how its plays out but that Hague alliance of Ruto and Uhuru is going nowhere