Commentaries

Onyonka Vs. Magara

Details

Published on Friday, 13 March 2009 00:49

Yesterday's dramatic defeat of a censure motion against agriculture minister William Ruto was one big blow to the fight against corruption and impunity.rift valley and central Kenya MPs ganged up in an unholy "scratch my back-i scratch yours" union.ODM was blackmailed and arm-twisted into opposing the motion while a number of MPs had more personal reasons for doing so.

William Ruto's fiercest defense came from an unlikely quarter.one Hon. Omingo Magara was seen frothing in the mouth as he launched a vitriolic attack on all those who supported the motion.to a casual observer,this would pass for an ODM MP supporting "one of a feather".far from it.what was at play was a re-allignment in the silent wars within the "orange party" pitting William Ruto against Raila Odinga on the one hand and Omingo Magara against Momoima Onyonka on the other.

Magara's overzealous defense of Ruto was calculated to catch the eye of the machinery that the agriculture minister is busy assembling in readiness for the 2012 general elections.all indications are that come 2012,William Ruto will be in a different camp from that of the PM's.infact,it is very likely that the name William Ruto shall be on the presidential ballot of that election.it is in light of this,that Omingo Magara's theatrics on the floor of the house last evening must be seen.

Mid last year,rumours were rife in Gusii that serious differences had emerged between Hon. Magara and Hon. Onyonka as they jostled for Raila Odinga's attention as well as the unofficial title of "spokesman" of the abagusii.Onyonka seems to have edged out Magara when he single-handedly marshalled the prime minister and a number of ODM MPs to the Gusii stadium for a major fundraising meeting in aid of the kisii town parish catholic church.

Predictably,this did not go down well with Mr. Magara and his supporters.the body language of the two protagonists at "The Gusii" that day betrayed feelings of animosity towards each other.the two were later to deny the existence of any such animosity between them at the "louie otieno live" show that was shot in kisii town soon thereafter.recent events however tell a different story.it is now public knowledge that there is no love lost between Hon. Magara and Hon. Onyonka.

Hon. Onyonka has gained more clout and is increasingly being viewed as the "spokesman" of the abagusii.he,for example, broke ranks with his ODM counterparts when the party took the appalling "party position" to trash the waki report.he has been consistent,daring and vocal in championing the interests of not just the abagusii but those of the "common mwananchi" and he seems to have weaved his way into Rt. Hon. Odinga's inner circle.

As a result,Hon. Magara,who has remained suspiciously silent every time Hon. Onyonka has stuck out his head to demand the full implementation of the waki report among other issues affecting the abagusii, seems to have resigned himself to the role of Hon. Ruto's pointman in Gusii.however,trying to sell a William Ruto candidacy to the abagusii would be laughable to say the least.