DAGGERS ARE DRAWN FOR THE BATTLE OF NDHIWA BY-ELECTION AS MORE THAN A DOZEN OF ASPIRANTS DECLARED THEIR INTEREST AND INTENTION OF CONTESTING FOR THE VACANT SEAT.

News Analysis By Leo Odera Omolo in Homa-Bay Town.

IMMMEDITELY after the speaker of the National Assembly Kenneth Marende issued the writs declaring three parliamentary seats vacant, paving way for the by-elections, a good number of leading political personalities in Ndhiwa declared their intention to contest for the seat.

One Kenyan daily put the number of aspirants interested in vying or he Ndhiwa seat to 32. Whereas a former MP o the area dismissed some of the would be aspirant a simple “Gamblers”.

Tom Okello Obondo had served the constituency as an MP for only one and half years between 1992 and 1994. Then he was handed decisive defeat by the late Joshua Orwa Ojode who consigned him into a political limbo. T.O. Obondo is suspected to have influenced the publication of falsified figure of the registered voters in the area which deliberately to favored his Kanyamwa clan to have the largest number of registered voter in the region..

Ndhiwa constituency is comprised of five major clans, namely,Jo-Kabuoch, Jo-Kanyamwa, Jo-Kwabwayi, Jo-Kanyidoto and Jo-Kanyikela and also several other smaller immigrant settlers like Jo-Kaguria, Jo-Koguta, Jo-Komenya, Jo-Kajulu and o-Kadhola.

The correct figures of the registered voter’s distributions as per each clan is as follows;Kabuoch 28,000, Kanyamwa 24,000, Kwabwayi 16,000,Kanyidoto 12,000 and Kanyikela 6,000. The smaller sub-clans usually voted along their host clans. In this respect those sojourning in Kabuoch always voted along with the Jo-Kabuoch group which is the dominant clan and arguably the majority with more registered voters as per 2007 statistics.. The Kabuoch in this case, however, host more immigrants’ settlers than any other major clans.

The late Orwa Ojode, who hailed from the third largest clan Kwabwayi had managed to subdued his opponent or close to three decades, namely in1994, 1997, 2002 and 2007.

In the past elections, Ojode had always managed to overcome his rivals because he had relied on votes from Kabuoch, where his mother comes from. AT he same time a candidate fro Kabuoch could not win the seat, because the community has always produced several candidates thereby scuttling its majority voting strength at the polls. could not win the seat because this community usually put up several aspirants theeby scuttling its majority and voting strength. But now in the absence of Ora Ojode, the son of their doughter, the electorate in Kabuoch have vowed t back and support only one aspirant of their own.

Information making the round in Ndhiwa and its environs indicate that the three names have emerged and spreading within the public domain as the most favored candidates who are likely to carry the day.

They included that of the Mwanza and Kisumu based Marine expert Ted Odero who hail from Kabuoch.

Odero is an ODM operative and a smooth pollitical operator. Highly respected for his eloquency and militancy, is the man to watch. He is also connected to the ODM leader the Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

Another name which is featuring prominently in the area is that of the late Orwa Ojode’s cousin Louis Onyango Otieno, a top manager with the Microsoft Computer international. His father Matthew Otieno Ogingo who once served as a two terms Ndhiwa MP and is credited for having been Orwa Ojode’s political mentor. Louis Otieno hails from Ojode’s Kwbwayi clan.

The other political heavyweight in the area who is also eyeing for the seat is Jeremiah Owiti. Known to his peers as “Jero” Owiti who is working with an international NGO in Nairobi is said to be very much at home with the electorate back at home in Ndhiwa due to his massive financial contributions towards the various socio-economic projects.

Another possible contestant is Mrs Monica Amolo a perennial Ndhiwa parliamentary election loser who is always masquerading and bragging t be very close to the Odinga family. She was beaten hands down by Ojode in 2007, but later moved to court challenging the victory of Ojode the man who had garnered close to 48,000 against her 12,000 votes. The case was thrown out b the High court.

Monica Amolo was last year during the much flawed ODM grass root election named the Homa-Bay County branch treasurer through consensus and not through the poplar votes. She hail from kanyikela clan and not posing any threat to the three leading contenders for the by-election.

Obondo was elected to represent Ndhiwa of Ford Kenya ticket during the first multi-party election in 1992, but soon after winning the seat, he served only for one and half year between 1992 and 1994, but jumped over and crossed back to KANU. This is what paved the way for the late Orwa Ojode to clinch the easiest victory in 1994. Tom Okello Obondo, perhaps is arguably the most experienced politician in the region. But his popularity has waned a great deal . Obondo is a member of the Jo-Kanyamwa, the second largest clan in the constituency after the Jo-Kabuoch. However, he is betrayed by his wavering character of hoping from one political party to the other, something which has earned him the name of a “political turn-coat”.

Of late Obondo has been warming up to the ODM, but he is believed to be a member of the Nicholas Biwott’s National Vision party of Kenya.. He was in Biwott’s camp when the latter made a futile attempt to wrestle KANU national chairmanship from Uhuru Kenyatta four years ago.. The former Senior Resident magistrate Charles Oyoo Kanyangi is also said to be in the process of contesting in the by-election. He performed poorly in 2007. He hails from Kabuoch.

Also in is the business man Dennis Orero. He too lost in 2007 to the late Orwa Ojode.Obondo is seen as someone who has lost political direction and sent force

And from Kanyikela come Hannington Orata another perennial election loser in Ndhiwa.Some of those who have declared their interest in the seat are newcomers to Ndhiwa politics and will have to cope up with the fat emerging clannish politics.

At the same time the rumours making the round says that some of the would be aspirants in he Ndhiwa by-election are suspected to be armed with fake academic certificates. Others are said to be semi-iliterate individual characters who are expected not to pass through the Provincial Language Board that may be set up by the government to check on the candidates English and Kiswahili proficiency.

One or two of the aspirants gearing up to contest the impending Ndhiwa by-election are said not to have gone beyond Form One standard of education, though such persons are very active in ODM activities is the region.

The winner, however, will have a lot of difficulties trying to fit into the late Ojode’s shoe, judging from massive development that the region has realized ever since 1994. During Ojode’s tenure feeder and access roads criss-crossing the full length and width of the region were improved up to an all weather standards.

Nearly all secondary and primary schools received the power supplies under the government rural electrification programme. More dispensaries and heath centers were constructed, and Ojode had to ensure that there were adequate supplies of drugs to each of the medical facilities in the region.

The recent recarpetting the Rodi-Karungu new termac road via Mirogi, Ndhiwa, Ratang’a,Aora Chuodho, and Sori in Karungu-Bay is another milestone development.

This particular road apart fro linking the tourists to the nearby Ruma National Game Park in Lambwe Valley is also meant to have to improve communications between the fishermen, fish traders who can now easily access market outlet in the hinterland.

Political pundits in the region have predicted that the battle for the f supremacy will be between Ted Odero, Louis Otieno and Jeremiah Owiti with other aspirants acting like curtain-raisers.

Louis Otieno, who is currently visitng the US, has yet to publicly declared his interest in the seat. But elders from the two major sub-clans of Kwabwayi which are known as Kamdar and Kasirime have resolved to back Otieno in the hope that he could be the beneficiary of the thousands of Ojode’s sympathizers from other clans across the region.

Ends

The photo is that of mr Ted Odero a marine expert who hIs declared his inteRest in the forthcoming Ndhiwa by-eletion.