President William Ruto’s tour of Nyanza has exposed the soft underbelly of the ‘rebel’ Orange Democratic Movement legislators (ODM) who are supporting his government.
The four-day tour may have been the best opportunity for the leaders who broke ranks with Azimio leader Raila Odinga to demonstrate to the President that they are valuable team players in their new assignment of wooing their supporters to his side.
Since pledging to work with Dr Ruto, many have faced hostile reception in their constituencies while others have been barred from attending ODM meetings.
The leaders include Siaya Deputy Governor William Oduol, Kisumu Senator Tom Ojienda, MPs Paul Abuor (Rongo), Caroli Omondi (Suba South), Elisha Odhiambo (Gem) and Mark Nyamita (Uriri), Gideon Ochanda (Bondo) and Phelix Odiwuor aka Jalang’o (Langata).
Some of the legislators have already been expelled from ODM while others were fined for working with President Ruto.
And what better opportunity could they have than to host the Head of State in their constituencies in events they organised themselves to show the Kenya Kwanza leader that they had indeed mobilised their constituents to support him?
But from day one, it seems, the Azimio leaders from the region had devised strategies to counter their plan, and it was meticulously deployed to create embarrassing moments for the ‘rebels’ in the presence of their guest.
On some occasions, they were given a lukewarm reception, while on others, some in their own backyards, they were shouted down. Not even the President’s pleas to the crowds to let the host MPs speak had any effect.
On Sunday, some of them were heckled at a rally at Sony Sugar Company premises in Awendo, Migori County.
And on Monday, during a rally in Usenge, in Mr Odinga’s home turf of Bondo, they were again subjected to the same treatment, with the host, Dr Ochanda, who chairs the Ruto faction, receiving the worst of it.
He was booed in his constituency in front of the President when the crowd demanded that Governor James Orengo addresses them. His pleas for them to listen to him fell on deaf ears. This forced the President to invite Mr Orengo to address the crowd, which calmed down after the county boss was given the microphone.
“I beg you to give me the opportunity to speak. The President is coming to launch more projects that will help many of these people who are now heckling. Those who are making noise are very few,” said Mr Ochanda, who was given another chance to speak in Liunda.
First, some MPs announced that they would not accompany Dr Ruto on his tour. This was in stark contrast to the previous visits where they all attended the President’s events.
This, according to observers, left some MPs feeling that other leaders, including governors, would boycott just so that they could turn up at the last minute and be allowed to address the gathering after the ‘rebel’ MPs, giving them an edge to respond or water down any statements they would have made.
And it was Mr Odinga’s close ally, Governor Orengo, who appears to have been chosen to deliver the tough message on poaching of MPs and challenge the assumption that one must be in government to benefit from development projects.
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And for the Kenya Kwanza leaders like Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei who took to social media to celebrate Dr Ruto’s tour as a victory, they were quickly silenced by responses from Kisumu Governor Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o.
“Let it be known that the people of Kenya support Raila Amollo Odinga as our leader and crusader for the second liberation of this nation and so does the Nyanza region where UDA does not exist,” the Kisumu governor said.
But even as they boycotted the tour, the remaining MPs from Nyanza, led by National Assembly Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi, held parallel meetings in the region to ensure the President did not dominate the airwaves.
They also used the opportunity to water down the President's overtures, saying the region would not entertain any engagement with the UDA leader until the ongoing bipartisan talks at the Bomas of Kenya are concluded and the outcome known.
Mr Wandayi, Kisumu Deputy Governor Dr Mathew Owili, Woman Representative Ruth Odinga and MPs Aduma Owuor (Nyakach), Rozah Buyu (Kisumu West), Peter Masara (Suna West) and Dr James Nyikal (Seme) said they would not engage the President until they get direction on the way forward from Mr Odinga.
“Until the Bomas talks are concluded and we know the outcome, we have no business engaging Ruto politically,” said Mr Wandayi.
They were speaking at the burial of Mzee John Ouko Tweya, father of Kisumu Speaker Elisha Jack Oraro.
Mr Wandayi condemned leaders who support the President, saying the Kenya Kwanza leader was not genuine in his visit to Mr Odinga’s stronghold.
“In this visit that Ruto has made in the past few days, there is nothing that has been brought to us as a result of the parliamentary Budget. If you want to know that they are not sincere and they are taking us for a ride, the projects that are dear to us have been abandoned and the ones he is launching are not in the Budget,” said Mr Wandayi.
Mr Odhiambo, the Gem MP, said all his requests to the President were met, including the 50 acres for the expansion of the Maseno Odera Akango campus and the construction of the Gamba Technical Training Institute, which is set to commence. Mutumbu Girls Secondary School also received a bus and Maliera received Sh3 million.
He, however, said the heckling witnessed was done by a crowd hired by the governor, a claim denied by the county boss’ handlers.
“We should avoid such things when we have the President around. This is not the way to do politics as it dampens the spirit of development,” said Mr Odhiambo.
Much was discussed during the late-night meetings between the President and the leaders, with insiders revealing that Dr Ruto assured them that they would continue to work together to develop the region.
“The tour was very successful, forget the naysayers. During the night meetings, we came up with a lot of proposed projects that will be implemented, especially in infrastructure,” said Mr Ken Obura, the former East African Community chief administrative secretary .
