Kisii people will not vote as bloc despite Raila tactics

There are no indications that the Abagusii community are going to vote as a bloc come 2017 polls as alleged by politicians.

In essence, the youths vote for change while the old guard votes for the status quo.

I would like to register my disapproval with absolute certainty over a possibility of a political voting revolution in Gusii land owing to past facts and what people say unless scientifically and miraculously proved otherwise.

According to Gusii politics, there exist two schools of thought - one that believes in voting in the government of the day and another that holds an opposing view. The 2013 poll results are an ideal example.

Since time immemorial, the Gusii people have never voted as a bloc. Not even in 2002 when Simeon Nyachae vied for the presidency; not even during the days of the late political firebrand George Anyona.

Unlike other regions where the electorate votes as a bloc, the Kisii people are very democratic and peace-loving, and they will always vote where they feel like.

The latest assertion by CORD leader Raila Odinga that Jubilee should forget about the Omugusii vote is politically correct but factually unconvincing.

Voting is by secret ballot and the Kisiis know very well what Jubilee has done for them. Come 2017, they will make their own informed decision.

{Faith Onunga’ Kisii}

Just like President Uhuru Kenyatta, CORD leader Raila Odinga is looking for votes from the Abagusii community. But Raila has no moral authority to tell Jubilee it will not get any votes from the Kisii region.

There are no zoned areas in this country that are the preserve of certain individuals. Indeed, it is the democratic right of anyone seeking the presidency to look for votes from any community.

If Raila knows that the Abagusii will vote for him 100 per cent come the next elections, he should not have made frequent visits to the region to solicit for votes, and especially after Uhuru or Deputy President William Ruto had toured the region.

His frequent visits are a show that he is in a panic ahead of the elections and that is why Jubilee’s forays into perceived opposition zones are making him uncomfortable.

On the other hand, Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho appears to be a man with enormous political chip on his shoulder, especially when it comes to matters relating to DP Ruto.

Governor Joho’s continuous criticism of Ruto shows that the ODM deputy party leader has lost touch with the reality in Coast region, whose political landscape seems to be changing fast as residents are starting to lean towards the Jubilee Party ahead of the 2017 elections.

Instead of directing his political anger at Ruto over the defections of Governor Salim Mvurya of Kwale County and various MPs to Jubilee Party, Joho should address the problems facing ODM in the region.

Some Coast residents have now come to believe that the opposition has nothing to offer them and that is why they are reconsidering their continued stay in ODM.

It is unbelievable that someone of Joho’s caliber is yet to come to terms with the fact that there is no part of Kenya that is the preserve of certain political parties.

Like any other political party, Jubilee has a right to sell its agenda to coastal communities just the way ODM can do the same with voters in Rift Valley. It is time leaders focused on issues instead of inciting Kenyans against their competitors for their own selfish gains.