2007 Elections

Daunting task of charting Gusiiland political destiny

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Published on Thursday, 26 July 2007 08:00

As the lection fever hots up in the country, Gusiiland is yet to decide which political party and Presidential candidate to support in the General Election expected later in the year. Already sharp political battle lines have been drawn dividing the community into four major political camps. Ford People leader Simeon Nyachae who contested the Presidency unsuccessfully in the last General Election leads one block while Ford People rebel MP Omingo Magara, who is the Orange Democratic Movement Kenya treasurer, leads another camp.

Former nominated MP Mrs Catherine Nyamato is in charge of the third team comprising of Narc Kenya supporters while the fourth group, which is still undecided on which party and Presidential candidate to back, is under the umbrella of the former Health Minister Prof Sam Ongeri. All these groups are up against a gathering force of young professional that seeks to redirect the community's clan based politics to issues and generation handover. In this group are Charity Ngilu' National Party of Kenya Organising Secretary Kennedy Mongare Okong'o,who is eyeing West Mugirango seat, Shadrack Mose of Mose and Mose Advocates, Kitutu Masaba, Tom Ragira, Bobasi and Ratemo Nyara, Nyaribari Masaba among others.

Even as the camps crystalise, it is now emerging that a majority of the sitting MPs will be in trouble convincing their constituents to give them another chance in the House. Many members of the Abagusii community who elected all their MPs on Ford People ticket in the 2002 Election are now reluctant in supporting the party again citing a number of issues. The Ford People supporters have accused the entire Ford People leadership of dumping them after been given the mandate to the august House.

They have particularly told Nyachae and the eight MPs from the region namely Henry Obwocha, Mwancha Okioma, Godfrey Masanya, Jimmy Angwenyi, Zebedeo Opore, Hezron Manduku, Stephen Manoti and Joel Onyancha that they will not renew their contracts again. Nyachae who last year had hinted that he would be retiring from parliamentary politics has since changed his mind and he will be defending his Nyaribari Chache seat come the Election.

Among the failings the community is accusing the MPs of is mismanaging the constituency and bursary funds. MPs , they say, have openly discriminated against areas which did not vote for them.

They also unhappy with the MPs for calling for the unity of the community and holding public rallies only when elections are around the corner. This criticism of the MPs performance has complicated matters for Ford People, which for a long time has been the dominant party in

Gusiiland. The growing disenchantment with the party was clearly illustrated in the 2005 referendum where the community overwhelmingly rejected the proposed constitution which Nyachae and his Ford P were backing. Out of the ten constituencies in Gusiiland, only Kitutu Masaba and Bomachoge voted Banana while the rest picked the Orange.

The numerous political camps in Gusiiland have mainly been brought about by the fact that, unlike 2002 where Nyacahe was a Presidential candidate, this time round it is likely that no member of the community will be running for President.

The Presidential vacuum has resulted in a scramble for Kisii votes. In the recent past many candidates and political parties have been paratrooping into Gusiiland which they see as a fertile political ground for votes. All the main Presidential candidates have been jostling for a slice of the Kisii vote. President Mwai Kibaki who has declared that he will be going for a second term has Nyachae as his pointman. Kibaki expects Nyachae, who is perceived as the community’s spokesman, to convince the Abagusii to back him for a second term.

ODM-K’s Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka and William Ruto have been guests of the Abagusii in the recent weeks. They are eyeing the Gusii vote as a substantial filler that together with their regional votes, can help propel them to State House. Ngilu is also set to tour the area next week to sell the original Narc party.

Sensing the competition in what they insist is their undisputed territory, Ford People leaders have now embarked on intense campaign rallies to revive the popularity of the party. Some of the rallies have been held under the guise of raising funds to assist the community youths but the real agenda is to woo the community back to Ford people. .

Two rallies have already been held in Kitutu Chache and West Mugirango constituencies. At a rally held last Friday in Nyamira Primary School in West Mugirango Constituency, the people expressed their anger with the MPs by heckling Obwocha who is also their area MP over what they termed as mismanagement of the CDF funds.

Nyachae and his group are now riding on the Kibaki success which has made the President popular among the many Abagusiis. But Kibaki will have to contend with the ODM-K which has retained a strong presence in the community since the referendum. Led by its local pointmen Magara, Chris Obure, Timothy Bosire, Joseph Kiangoi, Joseph Rioba, James Ongwae, Walter Nyambati and Dr Erneo Nyakiba, ODM-K is determined to turn the tables on Ford People. But the ODM-K family in the area is not singing the same song. It is divided into pro- Raila and Kalonzo camps.

The Raila group comprises of Magara, Bosire, Kiangoi, Rioba, Charles Onyancha and Jorum Ken’gocha while Abincha, Nyambati, Fred Orora, Orina Momanyi and John Anunda front for Kalonzo. Dr Nyakiba is alone in selling William Ruto’s Presidential bid after Kanu’s national assistant secretary Manson Oyongo Nyamweya decamped to Ford People.

But the various ODM-K camps claim that they will rally behind the victor after the nominations. Some supporters however doubt that this will be possible.

But Bosire, who is the Kitutu Masaba ODM-K chairman, says the divisions are a sign of true democracy in the party. He argues that the competition in the party will ensure that the party comes up with the best candidate to face President Kibaki.

Narc Kenya has also of late started showing its face in Gusiiland capitalising on the successes of the Kibaki Government. The party group under the leadership of Nyamato, Stephen Mogaka, Nyambega Mose, Dr Isoe Ochoki, Zachary Moturi, John Okemwa, Charles Otwori, Nyarinda Mwikobu, Dr Sam Ogembo and Rebecca Nyaanga has also intensified campaigns asking the community to reject Ford People and ODM-K parties which they accuse of opportunism and poor development records.

The group which held its first rally in Nyamira town on Thursday said Kibaki had done a lot for Kenyans for the short time he has been in power and should be rewarded with another five-year term if the country wias to prosper into greater heights.

The fourth group which is led by Prof Ongeri argues that it is too early for the community to start declaring who to support for the Presidential seat. Ongeri says the community should first unite before deciding who to support for the top seat since they don’t have one of their own contesting the Presidency.

Addressing a harambee in Mochengo Secondary School in Bobasi Constituency last Sunday, Ongeri who is the former Nyaribari Masaba MP said the community has always been in the government and it will make a grave political mistake to support a losing candidate just like in the 2002 elections. Said he: “We must bury our political differences and come together so that we can address the political destiny of our people.”

He said the community must thoroughly scrutinise those seeking the Presidency to determine who among them has the community’s best interests at heart. He noted that the unity of the Gusii community was more important than an individual’s benefits in national politics.

He, however, cautioned leaders from the Gusii community against dividing the community so as to suit their personal interest warning that history will charge them harshly in future. He said the unity of the community was very vital as this will strengthen their bargaining power in a future government.

The dilemma facing the Ongeri group which gravitates around the Biwott faction of Kanu is that they now appear party-less after their sensational takeover of Kanu last year was nullified in court. But it is likely that Ongeri and his group will side with the candidate who will be backed by their leader Biwott. There is even talk that Ongeri himself could be eyeing the presidency on his faction's ticket.