Reports Leo Odera Omolo In Migori Town
John Magaiwa, a prominent Jubilee politician in Kuria, has reported that unknown arsonists recently set his shop a blaze torching shop goods and other property estimated at Kshs 20 million.
The incident took place at Mabera Trading Center in Kuria West district, Migori County. Unconfirmed reports says the police are holding one suspect who is assisting them In their investigations.
Magaiwa said the incident took please during the night of January 17-18, 2014 Before March 4,2013 general election, Magaiwa who is an ex-civic leader was the ODM branch chairman in Migori County. He had prior to the elections declared his interest in contesting the Migori Senate seat on the party ticket , and even campaigned vigorously for the seat fro close to three years and was tipped as the possible winner.
Magaiwa, however, ditched the ODM and left the party in huff after some of the party MPS from the region held and a locked door secret meetings in an hotel in Nairobi and came up with the idea that the ODM Senate ticket be given directly to the former Kuria MP Dr. Wilfred Machage in perception that his nomination would lure the Kuria voters and convince them to vote for the ODM presidential candidate Raila Odinga on man-to-man.
The MPS floated the idea to Raila whom made several impromptu visit to Migori and told his Luo supporters that they should Forget the Senate seat for the area because it would be given on a direct nomination to a candidate from Kuria a minority community which is sharing Migori County with the majority Luos because the Kurias were a marginalized minority.
Among those who had already declared their interests in the Migori Senate seat included the former two the Homa-Bay MP Phares Oluoch Kanindo, the former Mathare MP Gilbert Ochieng” Mbeo. All the three together with Magaiwa had already deposited their money with the ODM head office and were only waiting for the green light to go on with their election contest.
DR Machage was still a top official of the defunct PNU party then headed by the retired President Mwai Kibaki and had not yet ditched the then ruling party.
Magaiwa felt he was betrayed and short-changed by the ODM leadership and crossed into the TNA/URP coalition. The Kuria voters rejected Raila Odinga and the two ODM parliamentary candidates for Kuria East and Kuria West constituencies, which were all swept by the Jubilee.
In the final analysis, the local political pundits believes that it was Magaiwa who became an instrumental tools that helped the Jubilee to an easy major victory over ODM in Kuria. Raila was told that Dr Machage had lost touch with the Kuria voters. But he could not hear of this and bulldozed his way by prevailing upon the party headquarter is which issued a direct party nomination to Dr. Machage,
The former MP won the Senate seat specifically owing to Luo votes, and not Kuria’s.After the March 4, 2013 election Magaiwa went back to his shop business at Mabera Trading Center, which is located along the Migori Sirare road.
Pundits were quick in pointing out that the torching of Magaia’s shop could have some elements of political undertone. This is because of his massive popularity and influence which had helped the Jubilee made inroad into the two Kuria districts dislodging the ODM.
ENDS