NDHIWA CONSTITUENCY IS THE ROLE MODEL OF MASSIVE DEVELOPMENT AND SUCCESS STORY IN  THE GREATER SOUTHERN NYANZA.

Ndhiwa  political profile By Leo Odera Omolo in Ndhiwa Town.

ONE typical good example of a rural parliamentary constituency in the larger greater Southern Nyanza, which has became the envy of every politician in the region is Ndhiwa, in the newly created Ndhiwa district {formerly Homa-Bay}.

Centrally situated in an area which is commonly known as “Milambo” or Ramba {Southern}, Ndhiwa has achieved record fast development within the shortest period, even surpassing neighboring  constituencies.

About sixteen years ago, Ndhiwa was one of the most backward rural constituencies in the region. But today, the area boost remarkable development and progress.

Thanks go to its hardworking and abrasive Member of Parliament, Joshau Orwa Ojode, whose sixteen years of representation of the area in parliament has turned the area into a bastion of food grains. It now boost ultra modern government aided secondary schools, close to eighteen full fledged and properly stocked health centers, and more than thirty one dispensary, dispensing medication to the population.

Ndiwa had only two administrative centers at its inception in 1962. At that time, it went under the name of Lambwe Constituency, and covered Mbita, and Gwasii constituencies and part of Nyatike constituencies.

Ndhiwa residents can be distributed into five major sub-clans, namely Kabuoch, Kanyamwa, Kwabwayi, Kanyidoto and Kanyikela.. Part of its original land, which covered Karungu Division, was sliced off Ndhiwa, and padded to the newly created Nyatike Constituency, in Nyatike district.

The two major sub-clans, namely Joka-Buoch and Jo-Kanyamwa, are interrelated with their cousins, Jo-Karungu and Jo-Kadem in Nyatike. These four major sub-clans consider themselves, together with their other cousins, Jo-Karachuonyo and Jo-Kasipul-Kabondo, as the indigenous people of Southern Nyanza. Together, they are better known as Joka-Chwanya and Joka-Onyango Rabala, who is a  brother to the great Rachuonyo. For years and ages, there was no inter-marriage between these sub-clans, who are all descendants of the Great Ramogi {III}, the son of Jok {II}. This only changed sometime in early 1940s.

Other clans are called Jo-Nyakal, meaning immigrant communities. They include Jo-Kwabwayi, Jo-Kanyikela, Jo-Koguta, Jokaguria. There are also Jo-Kajulu, Jokadhola, Maragoli, as well as settlers from other Luo sub-clans, like Jo-Uyoma, Jo-Kamenya and many others. But all form part of Ndhiwa population.

Jo-Kwabwai, the third largest sub-clans, have produced two Mps, Otieno Ogingo and Orwa Ojode, who are cousins. Kabuoch has produced one MP, namely the late Ocholla Makanyengo. Kanyamwa has produced one MP, Tom Okello Obondo. Zablon Owigo Olang is a member of the Jo-Karungu, the second largest community in Nyatike. Olang represented Ndhiwa when Kadem was part of Ndhiwa, and before it was split in the 1988, creating Nyatike and Ndhiwa.

In June 1963, the Indian trained economist and the former Principal of the ICFTU sponsored African Labor College in Kampala, Dr. Joseph Gordon Odero-Jowi, won the Lambwe constituency parliamentary seat on a KANU ticket.

But at the time, Kenya had a tri-cameral houses of parliament, namely the National Assembly and the Senate, under the Lancaster House Constitution, and also the Regional Assembly.

Both the Senate and Regional Assemblies were abolished as the result of several constitutional amendments in the National Assembly. A new parliamentary constituency was created  in order to accommodate Senator Selemiah Mbeo Onyango, who represented South Nyanza district, and thus became the birth of Mbita constituency.

Mbeo Onyango hails from Mfangano island, and was a close political associate of the late Tom Mboya, who hails from the neighboring Rusinga Island.The twin islands, together with Gwassi and Kakisingiri form the bulk of the heart of Luo-Abasuba people of Southerrn Nyanza.

Dr. Odero Jowi also switched to represent the newly created Ndhiwa constituency. Leaving Mbita for Sen Mbeo-Onyango, who became the MP for Mbita. This was in 1965.

So far Ndhiwa has had six different parliamentarians ever since its its inception. Dr.Odero-Jowi, however, lost his Ndhiwa seat in a bruising election campaign in 1969, while he was serving as the Minister for Economic Planning and Development. He had stepped into the shoes of political mentor and friend, the late Tom Mboya, who was assassinated in a Nairobi street on July 5,1969.

In that year’s general election, the Luo voters voted massively against all MPs from the community who were serving in KANU government, particularly members the of the cabinet, headed by the founding President, the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta. This was a protesting vote, as the community suspected the Mboya killing to be a state affair.

In that year’s general election, Matthews Otieno Ogingo, a former Vice chairman of the Nyanza Regional Assembly, who had also been elected in 1963 as the Ndhiwa member of the Nyanza Regional Assembly, trounced in  Dr.Odero -Jowi in 1969, in a controversial election victory. But Odero Jowi moved to the High Court, challenging Otieno Ogingo’s election victory on some legal technicalities. Ogingo’s election was nullified and a by-election called. But in the subsequent by-election, Otieno Ogingo won for the second time, this time round beating Odero Jowi with a much larger margin than in the previous election, when he had scored a thin majority.

After losing his Ndhiwa seat in Parliament, Dr. Odero-Jowi was later to be appointed by President Jomo Kenyatta to become Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, where he was instrumental in winning for Kenya the UN- UNEP headquarters, to be located in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

Dr. Odero-Jowi returned to Kenya before the 1974 general election, and recaptured his seat, beating Ogingo and seven other candidates hands down on a KANU ticket. But this time around he did not complete his tenure. He absconded and abandoned the seat in 1977, joining the UN agency in Canada. Once again, a  by-election was called, and a former senior police officer, Zablon Owigo Olang’ (Gogni} won the by election comfortably.

Owigo-Olang’ successfully defended his seat in the 1979 general election, and was later appointed an Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, under the former Attorney General, Charles Mugane Njonjo as the Minister in charge.

But shortly afterward, in 1983, a group of KANU hardline parliamentarians began pointing an accusing finger at Njonjo, alleging that he was plotting  to overthrow President Moi with the help of foreign mercenaries. Olang’, with other MPs and his boss Njonjo were dismissed from the cabinet, and were also expelled by the then ruling  KANU. They were, however, allowed to remain MPs until later the same year. Following the snap election called by Moi to consolidate his power, after parting company with Njonjo, his political mentor until 1983, most of those classified by Moi’s men as Njonjo sympathizers and supporters were eventually rigged out of Parliament.

A former trade unionist and Jaramogi Odinga Odinga loyalist, the late Phillip Ochola Ogaye Makanyengo thus won the Ndhiwa seat on a KANU ticket, and was made an Assistant minister for foreign Affairs. Makanyengo, however, died half way before completing his term. His death paved the way for the return to Parliament of Matthew Otieno Ogingo, in the consequent by-election.

Ogingo also was made an Assistant Minister for Health. But he lost his seat once again during the first multi-party election of 1992, when Tom Okello Obondo won the same seat on a Ford-Kenya ticket, under the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, but immediately crossed the floor and defected back to KANU. In the by-election that followed Obondo’s defection, Joshua Orwa Ojode won the seat.

Ojode was later to win a popular vote in 1997 and repeated the same in 2002 and 2007. His repeated election victories are good signs of the highest esteem on which the electorate in Ndhiwa hold him, and a reward for his hard work to the community.

Bordering six other constituencies of Gwassi in the West, Nyatike in the South, Uriri in the southeast, Rongo in the East, Rangwe in the North and Mbita in the northwest, Nhiwa is one area which is endowed with good rainfall all the year round. It has good fertile and arable land that produces many cash crops like bananas, maize, vegetables, sorghum, millet.

Its rainfalls originate from Kitutu Chache, from Nyakoe River and Manga Hills, and traverse the river, which in Bonchari and inside Luo-Nyanza is known as Riana River. The rains traverse the Riana Valley, winding up in Kuja river, around Oria and Kanyikela areas.

A number of farmers have introduced modern farming in the area, like rearing much economically valued dairy grade animals, though the majority still keep the old zebu native cows.

Ndhiwa farmers are also growing sugar cane in large quantity, but have been complaining bitterly about the exorbitant cost of transport charges, when they deliver their crops to the Awendo-based SONY SUGAR factory, which is located about 40 to 50 kilometers away.

The problem, however, will soon be the thing of the past. A private company known as Sukar Limited is currently constructing a medium size white sugar factory in Ndhiwa, at a places called Paw-Otange, on a piece of land formerly owned by the County Council of South Nyanza. Once the factory is in full production, it will consume most of the sugar cane grown in Ndhiwa. This is expected to improve the money circulation in the area, as well as creating close to 2000 new jobs. More people will also earn money indirectly, either working as casuals, contracted cane cutters, transporters, food sellers and many other trades, and the factory is expected to improve the economy of the agriculturally rich region.

The establishment of a white sugar processing factory, which is estimated to cost approximately Kshs 20 billions, and which will produce close to 3000 tons of made sugar per day, is the brainchild of the industrious and hard working Ndhiwa MP, Joshua Orwa Ojode.

Politically, Ndhiwa is one of the ODM’s stronghold regions. Orwa Ojode is always in the forefront in articulating issues affecting the party, and at times effectively defending the party leader, Raila Odinga, in an overzealous manner and to the hilt.

A most interesting thing happened to Ojode’s career soon after the referendum voting in 2005 , when President Mwai Kibaki dismissed the entire cabinet. Kibaki subsequently made a shocking announcement, excluding Raila Odinga and other Ministers who supported the Orange movement against the Banana movement during the referendum campaign period.

Surprisingly, the President kept only Orwa Ojode in his new look cabinet, as the new Minister for Environment and Wildlife. But Orwa Ojode, in solidarity with his dismissed colleagues, outrightly rejected and declined the appointment.

But when Raila Odinga and President Mwai Kibaki formed the coalition government under the national accord, Mr Odinga did not consider Orwa Ojode for any cabinet position. Instead he named Dalmas Otieno,  the MP for Rongo, to the cabinet, and also surprisingly named Gerald Otieno Kajwang’ as the new Immigraton Minister.

Politically observers and pundits had expected Ojode to clinch a full cabinet position due to his seniority, and having served in the previous Narc cabinet, as an Assistant Minister for Education, while Kajwang had not served in the government. Dalmas Otieno had also just joined the ODM, after many years of association with Moi and KANU.

Ojode was made an Assistant Minister for Internal Security, but the strange change of attitude towards him by Agwambo definitely demoralized Ojode, and killed his morale of patriotism and solidarity.

But his humiliation from Raila may have started during the ODM party’s grassroots and national elections. A local woman, who had no significant backing and support in Ndhiwa  was posted to humiliate Ojode and even allegedly provided with armed bodyguards. The same woman was beaten hands down by Ojode in the 2007 elction, when she pulled 12,000 votes against Ojodeh’s 48,000, but she immediately moved to court, arguing that she had won the Ndhiwa seat, but was robbed of her election victory by the defunct Electoral Commission of Kenya{ECK}. She was covertly backed in her undertaking allegedly by members of Raila Odinga’s family, and close political associates, and the entire people of Southern Nyanza read malice.

The abrasive Ndhiwa MP is improving his popularity in the area almost everyday. His track record and effort in securing jobs for Luo youths in the government, especially in the armed forces, and other institutions, has placed him almost equal to the late Tom Mboya and the late Hezekiah Oyugi, the former PS in the Office of the President, in the eyes of his constituents. There is always beehives of activities, as  many youths and job seekers are always milling around his offices, whereas one doesn’t find the same crowd outside other Luo Minister’s offices in Nairobi.

Ojode, however, despite the common knowledge that he was relegated to a junior position by Raila Odinga in his cabinet appointment, does not speak openly against Mr.Raila Odinga, whom he regarded as good man and political friend and an associate. But he maintains privately, that perhaps “Agwambo” is surrounded by people of bad gossips, who hang around him.

At one time during the funeral of Mrs Felgona Okundi,  ther late wife of the former Rangwe MP, Eng. Phillip Okoth Okundi, from the blue moon, Raila Odinga’s elder brother, Dr Oburu Oginga, the MP for Bondo, surprisingly  launched scathing criticism of Ojode, an attack which not only shocked but also puzzled many mourners. Many residents of Rangwe constituency where the funeral was held and from the larger Southern Nyanza could not believe what they were hearing.

The attack came only a few days after Ojopde had told his colleagues during the funeral of the former Kasipul-Kabondo MP, Eng Peter Otieno Owidi, that its time the Luo abandon the idea of boycotting every successive government in this country, and find out other avenues of working closely with the government. He made this remarks only weeks after he had declined a cabinet post offered to him by President Kibaki., a sacrifice, which Ojodeh made in solidarity with Raila Odinga, and other ODM Ministers who had been sacked by the President.

The attack by Dr Oburu against Ojode at a funeral place created a feeling that members of the Odinga family are intolerant of anyone with diverse opinion. Dr Oburu remarks are always considered as reflecting the inner and feeling and attitudes of the Odinga family.

After the two incidents, some busy bodies, power-brokers and  the so-called political demagogues, claiming to be close to the Prime Minister were heard talking ill of the Ndhiwa hard working MP, alleging that he was wrecking the unity and solidarity of the Luos. But when William Ruto visited Ugenya and conducted Harambee for the area MP James Aggrey Orengo, nobody pointed an accusing finger against Orengo of undermining the unity of the Luos.

When the same Minister Ruto visited Ndhiwa and raised Kshs 3 million for the SDA churches last Ocrober, the talks filled the air in Kisumu and its environs that Ojode has become one of the ODM rebels MPS gravitating around the Minister for Agriculture, William Ruto.

In an interview with this writer last week, Ojode denied having bad blood with the Prime Minister. “My primary duty is to serve the Ndhiwa electorate to their satisfaction and by so doing I am a busy man. I really don’t have time of making any bad gossiping against Mr. Odinga. We have remained dear friends for many years, and we will continue helping each other politically and otherwise”, he said.

The Assistant Minister, however, admitted that he suspected an unnamed member of the Odinga family as the one spreading the hate gossips between him and the PM.

The same person peddling bad gossip between him and the Prime Minister is also the person responsible for sponsoring his opponents during the elections But the electorate in Ndhiwa are very much aware of these dirty political maneuvers and machinations, which stands no chance of succeeding in Ndhiwa.

Ojode, however is highly credited for having turned an area which was hitherto considered as the most backward, into a role model of massive development within sixteen years of his representation in Parliament.

Ends
LeooderaomoLo@yahoo.com