Prime Minister Raila Odinga is reaching out to influential former Cabinet minister Simeon Nyachae as he continues to rebuild bridges ahead of the 2012 elections.

The Sunday Nation has established that Mr Odinga has met Mr Nyachae at least three times this year as he seeks to get support from the larger Kisii region.

Residents of the region voted for both President Kibaki and the PM in the 2007 election, but Mr Odinga is keen to bag the PNU supporters with the aim of ensuring that the Nyanza region votes as a bloc in the next election.

Mr Nyachae, a kingpin of Kisii politics, announced his retirement from politics in 2008 but his counsel holds considerable influence among the Kisii.
The Sunday Nation could not reach Mr Nyachae for comment but a source in Mr Odinga’s office who did not wish to be named discussing the PM’s delicate charm offensive said: “Mzee met Nyachae at a mutual friend’s house in February. They have held other meetings since.”

Although the region is thought to widely support ODM since five of the 10 MPs from there are members of the party, the presidential vote in the 2007 General Election was almost evenly split between Mr Odinga and President Kibaki.

Support for ODM in the region has been lukewarm since the 2008 post-election violence in which members of the community were evicted from parts of the country where ODM enjoyed massive support.

It has also emerged that Mr Odinga has lately developed a close working relationship with South Mugirango MP Manson Nyamweya of Ford People. Mr Nyamweya defeated former ODM treasurer Omingo Magara in a by-election last year. Mr Magara, who had bitterly fallen out with Mr Odinga, was widely tipped as Mr Nyachae’s successor as the Kisii political kingpin.

Notably, when House Speaker Kenneth Marende ordered the coalition partners to come up with a team to vet candidates for top jobs in the judiciary, joint chief whip Jakoyo Midiwo included Mr Nyamweya’s name on the ODM list. The Sunday Nation could not reach him for comment.
Currently, the PM’s campaign in the region is led by Ms Janet Ong’era, the director of the ODM secretariat, and Public Works minister Chris Obure.
This development marks political progress for Mr Odinga who has been struggling to hold his party together amidst an unprecedented rebellion by party MPs led by Eldoret North MP Mr William Ruto.
In a recent interview with the Sunday Nation, Mr Odinga said the party was aggressively broadening its base to regions such as Central and Eastern provinces particularly in Meru and Ukambani, Kisii and the Coast.

For the past one week, the PM has toured Meru where he issued 3,500 title deeds, Mombasa where he is said to have wooed Tourism minister Najib Balala back to the ODM fold and attended what was dubbed as reconciliation meeting in Uasin Gishu addressed by Agriculture minister Sally Kosgei last Friday.

Although he has stated that he no longer has any political interests, Mr Nyachae remains a powerful figure in Kisii politics, which he dominated for more than two decades. Nationally, his name is back in the news headlines through his son Charles Ayako, who was appointed by President Kibaki and Mr Odinga to head the powerful Commission on Implementation of the Constitution.

But no one among Kisii politicians has emerged to fill Mr Nyachae’s boots, the way Mr Ruto did among the Kalenjin after the retirement of President Moi.

Consequently, politicians from the region still seek Mr Nyachae’s advice on matters concerning the political destiny of the community. Besides that, Mr Nyachae is a wealthy man whose influence cuts across many communities.

Mr Odinga and Mr Nyachae are not known to be political friends. They have been at the opposing sides most of the time in their political careers. Thus, it remains to be seen whether Mr Nyachae will offer his support and whether that support will translate into votes next year.