Writes Leo Odera Omolo IN Kisumu CITY.
A prominent politician in Homa-bay County has called upon the ODM board of election to reconsider the possibility of postponing the party’s primary nomination dates from December 4/5 to another suitable date towards the end of the same month.
Dr Mark Matunga, who is also an aspirant for the Homa-Bay County governor position cited the KCE national examination, which would be taking pace at the same, adding this could have an adverse implication on the performance of students.
“Most schools classrooms will be used as polling stations, counting halls, wile candidates will be traversing the villages while making a lot of noisy through signings and blowing loudspeakers and aujas, vuvusellas and drums. The campaign noises in villages which are located next school could have negative effect on the performance of students sitting for national exam.
Moreover many teachers would be engaged as counting clerks, supervisors, returning officers and counting clerks at the time when they would be required to invigilate and supervise the exam to ensure that their student performed ell at the exam.
D Matunga has suggested that the ODM primary nomination dates be pushed forward to after December 20th . This will be after the schools re closed and the student gone hoe for the end of the year school holidays so the campaign noises will have no negative effect on the student’s performance.
He said his calls for the postponement of the ODM primary nominations must not be construed as meaning he is opposed to the party tentative nominate program, but feels that the logic must prevail, because Kenya valued education of their children highly.
Meanwhile the information emerging from the Suba region of the greater southern Nyanza says that Dr. Matunga is currently the leading contender for the Homa-Bay County governor position is under heavy pressure to switch his candidature fro that of the County governor and contest the Mbita parliamentary seat.
The aspirant who hails from Mfangano Island in Mbita district has yet to respond to the voters demand nor could he be reached for his reaction and comments on the latest demand could not could be reached through mobile phone.
Mbita constituency which was originally part of the Lambwe constituency which was established in 1961 has had half a doze of MPS previously, but none has ever come from Mfangano Island.
The first MP for Lambwe Valley constituency was Dr Joseph Gordo Odero-Jowi from Karungu in what is today Nyatike constituency. This was during the Lancaster Constitution, which had a tri-cameral parliamentary system with the National Assembly.
The late Senator Sellemiah Mbeo-Onyango from Mfangano was elected to represent the entire larger South Nyanza district I the Senate. But when the tri-cameral parliamentary system together with regional assemblies were abolished following the constitutional changes of 1965/1966 which were effected by an ct of Parliament, a new Mbita constituency was created after Lambwe constituency was sub-divided into two with the creation of Mbita constituency specifically to accommodate the South Nyanza district Senator. The late Mbeo Onyango therefore become the first MP for Mbita.
Under this new arrangement Dr. Oero-Jowi switched his political cmp to the newly created Ndhiwa prliamentary seat.
In the 1969 general election, the Late Mbeo-Onyango defended his seat, but he was trounced by a fellow islander George Osingo Migure from Rusinga Island. Migure, however, lasted for only five year one terms, and the seat was gabbed by the late Aphonce Okuku , the younger brother of the late Tom Mboya
Alphonce Okuku hails from Rusinga Island. He successfully defended his seat in 1974, but lost badly to Peter Clever Otieno Nyakiamo in 1983.BOTH Okuku and Nyakiamo served in the cabinet of President Moi as an Assistant Minister and full cabinet minister respectively.
Nyakiamo was from Kaksingiri in what is now Suba South, although he had a family root in Wakula sb-clan who are his uncles and who lives in Mfangano Island whose Wasiambi sub-clan lives in Kakasingiri, he was defeated was won by the former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Works Dr. Valentie Omolo–Opere who whose time as Mbita MP saw the constituency being splinted into two with the creation of Gwassi constituency into two with the creation of Gwassi constituency, and the late Dr. Valentine Omolo Opere, another person from the mainland. Omolo Opere lost the seat to Felix Nyauchi a Nairobi lawyer who who the seat during the euphoria of Ford-Kenya in the 1992 first multiparty elections.
It was during Nyauchi time when the constituency was splinted into two with creation of Gwassi. Nyauchi as trounced by a Nairobi businessman Zadock Syong’o in1997 while during the same period of time Gerald OtenKajwang.won the Mbita seat and successfully defended it n2002 an 2007. Kajwang’ hail from Waondo in Gembe location in Lambwe Division. Looking deeply at the background of Mbita constituency, one could easily see that it is the residents of Mfangano Island who have yet to produce a parliamentary representative in Mbita ever since the inception of the constituency, though their voting strength is almost equal to those of the registered voters in the twin-Rusinga Island.
All the previous representatives have either come for the mainland or the neighboring Rusinga Ind, hence a strong demand by the residents of Mfangano that this time they be given a chance to produce one of their own as the next MP.
The Islanders have picked on Dr Matunga. However,Dr Matunga’s candidature, however, would complicate things for the Nominated MP Millie Odhiambo who hails from their neighboring Rusinga Island and who is so popular in Mbita at the moment an expected to sail through easily. This is because Dr.Mutunga is arguably the mentor of Milie Odhiambo.
The two have had a good rapport and cordial working relationship on friendly term, and people in the region expect Dr. Matunga to lend a hand of support by backing Ms Odhiambo in her bid to be elected as the next Mbita MP and she is equally expected to campaign for Dr.Matunga bid for the Homa-Bay County governor position.
Although she could be termed as a young firebrand legislator, Millie has performed very well in parliament even above the average of men and women sitting in the current 10th parliament. She has been an effective contributor to almost every local and international issue when such issues comes up for debate in the house to the house for debate. She has proved to be so eloquent an effective and formidable debater and one whose leadership has been tasted as a leader.
Since both Matunga and Odhiambo had one background of being the indignant Suba, and belonging to the two Islands whose inhabitants have the same background voters in the Sub region would like to see both Odhiambo an Matunga serving in senior positions in the next government an parliament.
Both Odhiambo an Matunga are wit armed with proper educational background and working experience.
This writer could not reach either the two, Odhiambo and Matunga to clarify these rumors, though the rumor about heavy pressure being put on Matunga to switch from contesting the governorship to that of Mbita parliament is so rampant in Mbita town and its environs.
Ends