RAILA AND A SIAYA MP LOCKED THEIR HORNS OVER COUNCIL NOMINATION FOLLOWED BY PHYSICAL COMBAT IN PUBLIC
By Leo Odera Omolo In Siaya Town 2nd June 200
A member of Parliament has locked horns with the Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga in Siaya township over the bitterly disputed Mayoral election.
The disagreement yesterday resulted in a Madaraka Day celebration at Siaya stadium marred by an ugly incident, in which civic leaders fought a fierce battle in public. Scores of people were injured , while the local D.C had to be shielded by a contingent of policemen from being hit with flying chairs and other missiles aimed at the VIP seated on the dais.
The war of attrition between Raila Odinga, and the Alego -Usonga MP Edwin Ochieng Yinda began two months ago when the Prime Minister was reported to have recommended to the Siaya branch of the ODM that a prominent businessman in both Siaya Kisumu and Nairobi Mr. Nicholas Rajula be nominated to the Siaya Municipal Council.
Rajula had contested the Alego-Usonga parliamentary seat in December 2007, but lost the ODM ticket to the incumbent Ewin Ochieng Yinda during the party’s preliminaries.
Rajula was consequently nominated. He stood again and contested the Mayoral election two months ago, but lost in a controversial manner to a former boda boda bicycle tax operator Coun Obiero Otare. The loser, however, protested that the mayoral election was conducted irregularly.
Rajula moved to court and obtained injunction restraining Town Clerk from conducting mayoral swearing in the new Mayor until the full hearing of the suit and its determination. But, according to Mr. Rajula, the Town Clerk defied the court’s order and went ahead w2ith the swearing exercise..
And Monday last week, the court, according to Mr. Rajula ordered the election of Siaya Mayor cancelled and that a fresh Mayoral election be conducted.
Source is Siaya said tension has been building up in the Town over the Mayoral election. The MP is said to be backing the Obiero Otare’s, but Odinga’s loyalists are said to be supporting Coun Rajula.
Alego-Usonga tribulation began a month ago when he became the only lone voice in Luo-Nyanza who severely criticized Raila Odinga for his choice of Luo MPS for the ministerial appointments in the grand coalition. is criticism of the PM did not go down well with overzealous supporter of “Agwambo” in the region.
Yinda for many years was a KANU operative in Siaya and had became perennial election loser on the party’s ticket ever since 1992. He switched to the ODM only last year and secured the party nomination certificate after beating a host of other contestants. But there were murmers and mutual distrust and unconfirmed rumors and allegations that he was still a KANU sympathizer.
Yinda is married to a daughter of the former Provincial Commissioner at the Coast and Central Provinces , the late Mr. Eliud Mahihu., fueling suspicion that he is a sympathizer of the MT.group of politicians and therefore is fighting Raila Odinga in his home turf.
The MP’s supporters in Siaya were heard saying loudly alleging that Raila was imposing outsiders on Siaya Municipal civic leaders..
On Sunday the disagreement ended in a nasty fight, which virtually marred the Madaraka Day celebration at Siaya Stadium..
The fighting resulted in scores of people sustaining injuries while members of the public who had gathered at the venue in their hundreds took to their heels. The fight broke out between MP Yenda’s supporters and Raila’s loyalists. It was a total war in which chairs and other missiles flew over the podium sending VIP to their heels. The D.C. Boaz Chelimo was only save from being hit with chairs when he was shielded by a team of policemen.
It all started when Obiero Otare invited Rajula to address the gathering. Instead the nominated Councillor said as a matter of protocol, he in turn invited the Siaya district chairman Mr. Okoth Obondo to address the meeting.
Obondo took the microphone and disowned the MP saying that Alego-Usonga had no MP. His remarks sparked off the scuffle as Obiero Otare struggled to wrestle the microphone from him. The two almost went down, but other civic leaders joined the melee, and it became free for all. At this juncture, the hell broke out sending everybody fleeing for his or her dear life.
Alego-Usonga MP who is a prominent businessman in Mombasa is having lean time following accusations and unconfirmed allegations that he is the one who had been inciting the residents against the US based investor who has already sun close to Kshs 3 billion in the multibillion rice scheme being undertaken on the 17,500 hectare swamp land on River Yala, which is being reclaimed for food production activities. .
The mega farm project being undertaken by a locally incorporated company under the flagship of Farm International Limited covered both side of Yala River in Bondo and Siaya districts. The project has the full support and backing of the Bondo MP Dr .. Oburu Oginga and his younger brother Raila Odinga. The investor Mr. Calvin Burgess recently issue a threat that he would close down the project and sent home close to 1200 workers if the local politicians persist in demanding money for bribes.
The Alego Usonga MP is a besieged man, and his working relations with other Luo MPs is said to strained ever since he questioned RAILA Odinga rationale of appointing MPS to the coalition cabinet. Other rumors making the around is that Yenda who is arguably a wealthy business man is one of those people are currently bankrolling the proponents of grand opposition in Parliament, which is being spearheaded by the Budalangi MP Ababu Namwamba’s group. Another Luo MP whose name is being frequently mentioned as allegedly involved with Namwamba’s group is Fred Outa of Nyando.
Ends
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From: Leo Odera Omolo
Date: Mon, 2 Jun 2008 05:23:13 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: RAILA’S AND YENDA SUPPORTERS INVOLVED IN FISTS FIGHT IN SIAYA TOWN