Dilemma & confusion in Western ahead of 2017 polls
Just like in the run to the 2013 general elections where the electorate in Western Kenya particularly from the larger Luhya community remain confused and thrown in dilemma as the 2017 general elections beckon.
The community that is said to be the second largest in population in Kenya seems not to be keen enough to use its numbers to gain power or be part of the ruling party or coalition despite staying awake to the fact that politics is about numbers.
Consolidation of votes from across the 18 or so sub-communities of the community remains a taunting task that was nearly achieved by the late Vice President Michael Christopher Wamalwa Kijana alone in the 2002 elections where he garnered virtually all the constituencies in the former Western Province apart from Chris Okemo’s Nambale constituency alone which he won on a KANU ticket.
Since then the subsequent generation of leaders have failed completely to marshal all the votes from the community into one basket and get a better bargaining power with whichever coalition that is interested in the huge bloc of votes whether Jubilee or CORD.
As it stands now, the community seems to be more confused and divided despite some of its leaders putting on a brave face that they want to vie for the presidency in 2017 even without considering their failure to unite the community first before moving out to seek for the bigger seat.
In 2013 the Luhya community had one presidential candidate Wycliffe Musalia Mudavadi who came third in the race behind Uhuru Kenyatta of Jubilee and Raila Odinga of CORD by garnering over 400,000 votes across the country.
Despite Mudavadi’s then UDF party winning some seats at the county and national assemblies, the larger picture saw the electorate from his own 18 sub-communities vote for Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga with little regard for their own kinsman on the ballot box.
In the coming 2017 elections the community has already registered two candidates including Mudavadi and embattled Ford Kenya party leader and Bungoma senator Moses Masika Wetangula who is fighting clinch the CORD ticket for presidency amid infighting and stormy tides and waters that seem determined to sweep him off the ballot.
However the two aspirants who might be joined later by others such as former Lugari legislator Cyrus Jirongo and others who might have not made public their intention to vie for the seat have or are not doing enough to improve the unity of the community as far as voting blocs are concerned.
Water cabinet secretary Eugene Wamalwa who stepped down in favor of Mudavadi in 2013 with his New Ford Kenya party that is currently under the leadership of Bungoma governor, now seems to be more involved in the activities of his ministry and other policies of the ruling Jubilee ruling coalition and not doing much in local or community unity and politics.
Now with the lukewarm reception of Mudavadi’s new political vehicle ANC – Amani National Congress and the dilemma of Moses Wetangula in his CORD coalition as far as his chances of becoming the flag bearer are concerned, the community now lacks sense of political direction not knowing which way to go.
A section of stakeholders and opinion leaders are urging Wetangula to quit the CORD coalition and go it solo for him to get their support as others vow to support him only if he will emerge the flag bearer of CORD.
Musalia Mudavadi was recently quoted in the media saying that he was ready to support his brother Wetangula if at all he will be nominated by CORD to be its presidential flag bearer.
Elsewhere Bungoma governor Ken Makelo Lusaka who is also NFK party leader has also on several occasions vowed to support his Bungoma senator Wetangula for the presidential bid if at all he will be the CORD flag bearer or if he will go all the way to the ballot box, conditions that seem to be getting tougher for the senator who has fought a couple of serious political battles since the March 2013 elections.
Kabuchai MP James Lusweti Mukwe was also recently heard condemning the ODM party leader Raila Odinga as someone who cannot be trusted and urged his Ford Kenya party leader to come back home and seek for unity talks with fellow leaders including Lusaka and the likes.
He urged Lusaka who was in the same function to embrace talks with Wetangula and other leaders from the former Western Kenya to forge for unity ahead of the next polls.
Lusaka in response told Lusweti that he and other leaders outside Ford Kenya had warned Wetangula and his troops to be wary of Raila’s tricks but they did not heed the advice and are now crying foul coming out with bruises but promised that he was ready for any talks that can unite the community.
“We warned you that the other side is not good because at the end of the day you will come out crying but you did not hear us, look now you are coming back with injuries but anyway we are ready to sit down and talk for the sake of unity of our community,” Lusaka said in a function at Khachonge in Kabuchai constituency.
Elsewhere in Busia county COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli affirmed that the Luhya community shall by 2017 be having one presidential candidate that shall be arrived at by consensus without any fall outs.
Atwoli who is among the respected Luhya elders said that it is high time that the community stopped being used by other communities to access power vowing that no coalition be it Jubilee or CORD shall get the Luhya votes freely without any meaningful bargaining for a share in a government to be formed.
“I am telling you here that you should not have any fears as far as the unity of our community is concerned because we are going to do all that matters to ensure that we have one presidential candidate from Luhya community in the next general elections next year,” said Atwoli.
We are warning leaders from other regions whether in Jubilee or CORD that this time round they will not get our votes without any well bargained deal and therefore they should not warm up to free votes from Western,” he added.
Atwoli pointed out that the major problem of the Luhya community is the leaders who are not divided but insisted that the electorate or general members of the community have no issues as far as unity is concerned and therefore the moment the leaders shall get united, then the deal of unity shall be sealed.
Interestingly, the different positions, statements and promises by different leaders from the community leave the typical Luhya voter in dilemma not knowing which statement to trust or which position to stand with or rather which leader to bank on from the community.
The question that is now common on the lips of people from the Luhya Nation is whom shall we support or vote for?
Others are asking themselves as to who shall salvage the community from its unending disgruntlement that has seen leaders fight each other especially from the recent hardliner position by Kakamega governor Wycliffe Oparanya to stop Wetangula a fellow Luhya from launching his bid at the Muliro Gardens in Kakamega among many other cases of infighting and supremacy battles among themselves.
As West Fm we also look forward to see that leader from the Luhya Nation who can initiate unity talks and modalities deliberately and consistently without fear or favor or without being compromised along the way for personal interests. Who can that be?
