THE EVER CHANGING PATTERN OF RANGWE POLITICS HAS CONTRIBUTED TO STAGNATION OF DEVELOPMENT IN THE AGRICULTURALLY RICH CONSTITUENCY

Local Rural Feature by Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City

Rangwe electoral constituency, in Homa-Bay district, in the greater Southern Nyanza, is an area which is full of contradictions, controversies and political intrigues.

This centrally situated semi-rural constituency, which was previously the largest, and known as Homa_bay constituency, before it was sub-divided and split into two constituencies, namely Rangwe and Rongo constituencies, has had the highest turnover of MPs, eleven in total ever since its inception in June 1963.

Those political giants who have had the opportunity of representing Rangwe’s electorate are the late Ngala-Abok {1963-1969, Aloys Phillip Achieng {1969-1974}, the late Isayiah Owalla Orwa {1974-1979, Phares Oluoch Kanindo “Galamoro”{1979-1983 and 1983-1988}, Prof Joseph Ouma-Muga {1988} and Raymond Oloo Ndong’ {1992}.

Prof Ouma Muga never had a chance of completing his first term. He was expelled and dismissed by the KANU big-wigs in very intriguing circumstances somewhere midway on his term. The man who completed this term was a former banker, Raymond Oloo Ndong’, who won the seat in the subsequent by-election that followed the controversial expulsion of Prof Ouma Muga from both parliament and the cabinet, where he was serving as an Assistant Minister for Environment and Natural Resources.

This was during the 1988 and 1992, when the constituency, then the largest, was covering from Kochia on the Karachuonyo Homa-Bay border, to the Luo-Maasai border in South Sakwa Location, in what is today Rongo district.

And when the first multiparty general election were called, Prof. Muga, who after his expulsion from KANU, had joined hands with the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga’s Ford-Kenya party, bounced back and won a parliamentary term for the second time, but this time on a different political party, and in a different constituency.

The newly created Rongo constituency was then won by the late John Linus Aluoch Polo on a Ford-Kenya ticket, sealing the fate of KANU politicians in Luo-Nyanza for the first time, a trend that has continued haunting the party of independence up to this very moment.

After the death of the late Jaramogi in January 1994, there came a major fallout between the late Michael Kijana Wamalwa, who had taken the mantle of Ford-Kenya, after a bruising battle with the late Odinga’s son, Raila Amolo Odinga.

A large number of Luo MPs joined Raila’s bandwagon in the newly formed National Development Party of Kenya {NDP} . However, those who insisted that they must stay put in the party of their mentor, the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, were to be consigned into political limbo in the 1997 general elections, as they were swept out by the euphoria of NDP in Luo-Nyanza.

They were James Denis Akumu {Nyakach}, Aloo Ogeka {Muhoroni}, Clarkson Otieno Karan {Nyando}, Ra,ogi Achieng’ Oneko {Rarieda}, John Linus Aluoch {Rongo}, Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o{Kisumu Rural}, and Otieno Makonyango[Alego-Usonga}. They were all voted out in the new waves of the LDP, which was simply baptized as {Luo Dar Pile}, simple interpretation “Luos are always on migratory politics”. The only Ford Kenya Luo MP who retained his seat was James Aggrey Orengo {Ugenya, and the green horn Joe Donde[Gem}.

The two, Orengo and Donde, however, were not lucky in 2002. They were swept out in the bonfire of the Narc Kenya euphoria.

After Prof Ouma Muga lost his Rangwe seat in 1997, then came the youthful firebrand, Dr Shem Ochuodho. But the outspoken top computer scientist immediately fell out of favor with Raila Odinga, and his brief parliament career was brought to premature end in 2002.

Ochuodho was floored by the much experienced corporate manager and wealthy politician, Eng Phillip Okoth Okundi. The former managing director of both Kenya Ports Authority and Kenya Bureau of the Standards, however, is being credited by the electorate for having done a good job.

Okundi was voted out when a former County Treasurer and Clerk, Martin Otieno Ogindo, won the controversial election, which only fell short of sparking off the sub-clans warfare between the populous Jo-Kanyada group and the Jo-Kochia.

Rangwe is made of five major sub-clans of the Luos. These are Jo-Kanyada, Jo-Gem, Jo-Kagan, Jo-Kochia and Jo-Gongo. Jo-Gem groups are loosely related to Jo-Kochia in a loose alliance called {Nyang’ur}. This alliance has always given candidates from the Jo-Kochia sub-clan upper hand in Rangwe elections of the past.

Out of the eleven MPs who have represented this constituency, the Jo-Kochia have had a lion’s share. Four of the eleven people who have had the opportunity of representing both Homa-Bay and Rangwe constituencies hailed from the Jo-Kochia sub-clan. They were Clement Ngala Abok, Aloys Phillip Achieng’, Prof, Ouma Muga and Eng. Phillip Okoth Okundi. The sub-clan’s rival, Jo-Kanyada had two of their own representing the area. These are Raymond Oloo Ndong’ and the incumbent Martin Otieno, Ogindo. The Jo-Kagan have had only Dr. Shem Ochuodho, while the second largest sub-clan, Jo-Gem, have had no representation and so is the minority Jo-Gong.

Rangwe constituency remains one of the most populous and the largest constituencies after Kasipul-Kabondo, Rongo and Ndhiwa. Sub-division of the constituency would bring the clans rivalry to an immediate end.

Out of all the ten previous Mps, only Phares Oluoch Kanindo represented the constituency for two consecutive five year terms. The rest were shown the exit door after only one, five year term. This has contributed to relatively poor record of development, making the constituency to be one of the most backward in the region.

The upper parts of the constituency, covering areas like Marindi, Rodi Kopany, Asumbi, Rangwe are rich with arable red soil, which is capable of producing maize, sornghum, bananas, sweet potatoes and sugar cane as cash crops. Some parts of Gem are good for production of coffee and tea. The local still prefer keeping zebu native cattle, instead of the more economically viable grade cows.

Northern areas of Rangwe constituency, especially Gongo location, which is neighboring West Kasipul and Bonchari locations, is rich in agriculture and produces a lot of maize. Kagan locations are suitable for ground nut, cattle rearing and production of maize, while upper Kochia is suitable for production of pineapples and ground nuts and other domestic crops. Lower part of Kochia has good black soil, which is good for production of cotton. There is also intensive fishing activities along the shores of lake Victoria in both Kochia and Kanyada locations.

The amount of work put on the ground as far as modern farming is concerned is negligible. In many parts of the constituency, the land is still lying fallow, with peasant preferring to cultivate small plots for family subsistence. This is making only paltry contributions towards the effort to eradicate poverty among the rural folks.

There is a lot of laxity in approach to modern farming, though the area is endowed with good annual rainfall, particularly in areas of the upper part of the constituency, which are close to the ever-green Riana Valley. In upper Kanyada, covering Marindi and Ongeng’, along the Kanyada-Kabuoch locations, the land is fertile for both maize and sugar cane crops. The farmers here only needs someone to motivate them so that the area could be turned into a bastion of food granary in the region.

However, there are serious allegation against the current MP, Martin Otieno Ogindo. He has deserted the constituents, and poorly supervises the needy projects being funded with CDF and other devolving government funds.

All the projects in the constituency were initiated by his predecessors, including the African Development Bank funded Oluch Nyangweso irrigation scheme, which is so important to the communities living around Oluch River on both sides. This river is the natural boundary between Rangwe and Karachunyo constituencies. The Project was initiated by Eng. Phillip Okundi.

The rumours making the round in Homa-Bay Municipality and its environs is that the Rangwe MP has deserted the electorate. He has taken his entire family to Nairobi and rarely appears in the constituency. The disbursement for the CDF cash money for the budgeted projects is being poorly executed by his political cronies and sycophants. Most of them are semi-illiterate busy bodies, who are armed with half-baked elementary education, not being conversant with the government accounting system.

The MP therefore is likely to join the long list of one term MPs in this particular constituency, which is so famous for cutting short the careers of many politicians, after only five years, sometimes less.
At the moment, the individual personalities whose names are being mentioned as possible candidates, come the year 2012 include that arrogant, strikingly and excessively wealthy Mumias Sugar Company Managing Director, Dr. Evans Kidero, who hails from East Gem, near Asumbi Teachers Training College and the RCM Catholic Mission.

Eng. Okundi, going by his clean and most illustrious record as a development conscious person, would definitely not shy away from making a second shot at the constituency politics. Okundi is a close political associate and friend of “Agwambo”, whereas the incumbent Ogindo is being accused of wavering between Raila and William Ruto’s camps, with no clear cut sorts of convictions.

The man who appears to be the darling of the youths and women, is the US based intellectual, Dr. George Omburo, who hails from Kochia. If this young man choses to stand, he will give both Okundi and Ogindo a run for their money. Taking into account that the youth are the majority of voters, Dr. Omburo seems to be leading the pack in so far as popularity in Rangwe.

Dr Omburo’s fame came as the news from the United States, filtering back home, said he was one of the key fund raisers among Kenyans living in America for the ODM, and Raila’s presidential election campaign of 2007. ODM is the darling of the residents of Homa-Bay region, and the name of Dr. Omburo is frequently coming out in almost every political conversations and gossips, though he has yet to make his position known publicly as to whether he will join the race or not.

As for Dr. Kidero, it will cost him a fortune to be able to convince the electorate to vote for him, because it is being alleged that he a man of class and inaccessible to the ordinary Wananchi, However, of late, he has been trying hard to bend his lifestyle. Other hurdles, which he must clear includes the claims that he belong to a minority “Wakeru” sub-clans, which is suspected to be of the Luo Abasuba descendants . This particular sub-clan is considered as immigrants and not indigenous Jo-Gem people.

These are some of the hurdles ,which Mumias Sugar-Guru will have to clear, in order to market himself and endear himself to the electorate . Dr. Kidero is said to be one of the few wealthy Luos who are allegedly bankrolling the ODM. Of late, he has bee going round Rangwe constituency, attending funerals and giving hefty cash donations towards the various Harambee fund drives. Other remote, and seemingly unfounded allegations against the Mumias boss, is that he is fond of making use of political hirelings and goons in settling old scores, with his perceived political enemies, either real or imaginary.

Ends
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com