Writes Leo Odera Omolo At Kendu Bay In Rachuonyo district.

Two factions of the splinter groups within the embattled Luo Council of Elders met face to face for the first time since the much highlighted ousting of the former Council chairman Meshack Riaga Ogalo in an inside boardroom coup last June.

They met face to face during the burial ceremony of an elder Mzee Lawi Ouya at Simbi, Kogembo village in Central Karachuonyo Location, North Rachuonyo district.The present of the members of the two factions had caused a lot of tension in this quiet and sleeping rural village.

Members of the factions had travelled from allover Luo-Nyanza to Karachuonyo after the news went around that the Prime Minister Raila Odinga would attend the high profile burial. But the PM skipped the function and instead attended a church service in Nairobi.

The ousted chairman Riaga Ogalo is known to have been criss-crossing the entire Luo-Nyanza while seeking the public support, and at the same time and recruiting MPs from the greater Southern Nyanza to his side. Some of them like Dalmas Otieno [Rongo] and Joshua Orwa Ojode [Ndhiwa]have since gone public in support of the ousted chairman. He had also held a series of consultative meeting with politicians, civic leaders and ODM operatives in search of political goodwill in support in the battle with his ousters.

Former Karachuonyo MP Mrs Pho9ebe M Asiyo, who is herself known to be aligned to Ker Meshack Riaga Ogalo’s side implored the two groups to reconcile for ‘ the sake of the community’ amid the strong murmurs and strong feeling among the thousands of mourners that the two group should be disbanded to pave the way for a properly constituted Luo Council of Elders in which credible and nonpartisan elders should be elected democratically to serve as its members

Mrs Asiyo had prevailed upon the leaders of the two functions Mzee Meshack Riaga Ogalo [ousted] and the incumbent Mzee Opiyo Otondi [currently registered chairman]to shake hands as a sign of reconciliation spirit amid prolonged applause by mourners.

He former legislator said the current split among the elders was not healthy and insisted that they should reconcile and work together for the betterment of the community.

Buoyed by appreciation displayed by hundred s of the mourners urged, Mr Asiyo to encourage Mzee Opiyo Otondi who had earlier declined to speak to rise up and address them. She reminded the elders during the old time wrestling matches among the Luos when one threw his rival on the ground, he did not set upon him on the ground, but he must quickly stood up to allow the match loser to stand up .

Asiyo reminded the elders present who included Mzee Meshack Riaga Ogalo and others to reconcile for the sake of the community a request that both factions acknowledged.’ We are supposeand unity said Mzee Opiyo Otondi.

Mzee Riaga Ogalo denied that there were any wrangling and that the Council was intact. He insisted that he was till the chairman of the Council despite the fact that the Opiyo Otondi group has been duly registered by the Registrar of the Society.

Ogalo, however, is known to have been travelling the full length and width of the Luo Nyanza campaigning to regain his lost seat, and has enlisted the support of several powerful MPs ion the greater Southern Nyanza to lobby for his group, among them the influential, Mrs Asiyo.

THE TRIBULATION OF THE Luo Council of Elders, which is supposed to have succeeded the Luo Union [EA}a welfare organization started about ten years ago when the Prime minister Raila Odinga disbanded the original Council and replaced it with the operatives of the LDEP against the advice of many wise counsels.

Thereafter its members were always handpicked from the LKDP and later ODM operatives with no proper election. Elders had strongly asked for the Council to be de-linked to the ODM and operate on its own as a different entity in the same way and manner the Luo Uniin [EA]. They were citing the fact that after having been elected to the Colonial Legislative Council in March 1957, the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga who by the was the pioneer Ker [Chairman of the Luo Union E.A had relinquished his position to a non-partisan elder the late Pastor Joel Omer.

None of the current member of the Council had gone through the grass root elections, but all were just handpicked by Raila Odinga and his cahoots in Kisumu. This has turned the Council to look like a wing of the ODM in the same fashion as the party youths and women wing. The Council constitution stipulates that a member must come from his home grass root election and must not necessarily be an ODM operative.

During the brief stint of the KANU/LDP marriage of convenience and political rapport, Luo Council members had pressurized the retired President Daniel Arap Moi to anoint Raila Odinga as his successor to no avail. Sat one time, the Council members were invited to Kabarak home of the retired President for a meeting with Kalenjin elders, but no credible elder from the Kalenjin attended the meeting. They were duped to a discussion with the retired former government security intelligence officers and secret service policemen faking Kalenjin elders.

Another meeting was hastily arranged at the SONYSUGAR guest House in Awendo Town, where the best Luo speakers were assigned to persuade Daniel Arap Moi to anoint Raila Odinga as his successor. By then M<r Odinga was the KANU SECRETARY General, and within a week after Awendo meeting Mr Moi made publicly known while visiting the Mt. Elgon district that he had anointed Mr Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta as his successor.

Many credible and political elite as well as academicians wanted to know the criteria of electing member of the Council. And are known to be urging that concern to improve the electoral system so that the Council become representative and popular vehicle that would help the community gain economic empowerment instead of being used as a rubber stamp or a ladder by an individual for his own selfish ends.

Political pundits insist hat those sitting in the Council at the moment are stranger because none had the blessing of the grass root voters in their respect home and districts. The former Secretary of the Council Mzee Benjamin Okang’Tolo told this writer last week that he had long predicted a fall out, particularly when Raila Odinga moved and maneuvered him and his group out of the Council and replaced them with former jaramogi Oginga Odinga youth wingers. The Council lost its meaning and became part of the ODM.

SAs much as we are unanimously supporting Raila Odinga presiudetial ambitio,he should also reciprocate the good gesture by relaxing his hold on the Council matters and let it be a non-partisan and neutral organization serving all the Luos include ODM member and non-members equally.

Ends

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com