Former Raila allies ask Nyanza voters to defect to UDA
Former Nyatike MP Edick Anyanga addresses journalists, flanked by other leaders from Nyanza at Boulevard Hotel in Nairobi last November. Mr Anyanga is a former ally of Opposition leader Raila Odinga, now turned critic.
President William Ruto's allies have urged Nyanza voters to defect en masse to the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) to secure the region's future.
The group accuses Azimio leader Raila Odinga and his ODM and Azimio outfits of lacking ideas to take the region forward, saying it is "wishful thinking" to expect him to win the 2027 elections.
Speaking at a press conference in Nairobi on Thursday, the former Raila allies said Nyanza had nothing to show for his many years in opposition and should take a bold decision in the new year 2024 and defect.
"For the one year he has been in office, we have seen what President Ruto and his deputy Rigathi Gachagua have achieved. And we all know the kind of projects and appointments they have given Nyanza despite how we voted," said former Nyatike MP Omondi Anyanga.
Mr Anyanga, who led former Nyanza MPs and MCAs in dismissing Raila's political future, said it was time for the region to wake up to the new political realities.
"Nyanza voters need to shape or ship out. The tide has changed and we are clearly better off in the UDA," he added.
Mr William Odhil, the former Migori County ODM deputy chairman, claimed that the UDA wave was now unstoppable and that President Ruto had managed to woo the region with his progressive political agenda.
"This is the beginning of the end of ODM dominance," said Mr Odhil.
Former MCA Jacky Ongoro said it was time for the region to move on.
"Under the present circumstances, the future is UDA. Nyanza has no choice but to rethink its political future," she said.
She added: "The appointment of Interior PS Raymond Omollo and ICT CS Eliud Owalo tells us that UDA has our best interests at heart.
Mr Anyanga and his team fell out with the party soon after the 2022 party primaries, which they claimed had been rigged. And more recently, the ODM top brass fell out with several local leaders who are warming up to the UDA, accusing them of betrayal.
Some of Raila's top allies who have since joined the UDA fray include Lang'ata MP Felix Odiwour alias Jalang'o, Kisumu Senator Tom Ojienda, Gem MP Elisha Odhiambo, Suba South MP Caroli Omondi and Bondo MP Gideon Ochanda.
Other Ruto allies from Luo Nyanza include former governors Evans Kidero, Jack Ranguma, James Ongwae and Okoth Obado. On the Kuria side of Migori County, the president enjoys the support of MPs Maisori Marwa and Mathias Robi.
Mr Anyanga, who chairs the board of the Kenya Nuclear Regulatory Authority and has been mobilising residents to join UDA, said their projections indicate that by the end of next year, more than half of Luo Nyanza's 2,160,439 voters will be safely in UDA's basket.
In October, President Ruto visited Homa Bay, Migori, Siaya and Kisumu, and commissioned projects in fisheries, agriculture, trade and industry, energy, health, digital economy, roads and transport.
He commissioned the MV Uhuru II in Kisumu and the Kabonyo Fisheries Aquaculture Service and Training Centre of Excellence. He announced plans to build eight jetties, revive local rice companies, construct 5,000 housing units and establish ICT hubs.
However, the ODM has poured cold water on the UDA's advances. Party chairman John Mbadi said Ruto's visits to the region were inconsequential. "His visit was purely to sell the UDA agenda. It had nothing to do with development. There is nothing new about it," Mr Mbadi said.
"Those who are running around here marketing the UDA don't represent anybody. They have gone to UDA on their own," National Assembly Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi told locals recently as divisions widened over the future of the ODM and possible scenarios in 2027.
