By Stephen Makabila             

There is a new plan to whip Western voters and political leaders into one political party, but ensure the region does not field a presidential candidate in the next election.

Lugari MP Ayub Savula says youthful leaders keen on working closely with the Jubilee government are behind the scheme.

However, while the group plots to unite the region under one party, some key political outfits are plotting to strengthen themselves.

They include UDF under former Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi, Ford-Kenya under Bungoma Senator Moses Wetangula, Federal Party of Kenya under Cyrus Jirongo and former Justice Minister Eugene Wamalwa’s New Ford-Kenya.

ODM, whose party leader is Raila Odinga, has also some considerable foothold in the region. While UDF and New Ford-Kenya signed post-election agreements with Jubilee, Mudavadi and Wamalwa seem to be overshadowed by Savula in power games, from the day he hosted Ruto as the chief guest at his homecoming in Lugari in mid April.

“All these dynamics are complex especially for a region like Western with many political players with varying interests, regionally and nationally,” says political analyst Masibo Lumala.

Likuyani MP Enock Wamalwa Kibunguchy says while unity is desirable, its crucial to assess forces driving such calls.

Among leaders in the Savula group include Teso South MP Mary Emase, Ikolomani MP Benard Shinali, Malava MP Malulu Injendi, Navakholo MP Emmanual Wangwe, and Bonface Otsyula of Bumula constituency. “We have been consulting with all these leaders on how the region can unite and stamp its authority in national politics given its inhabited by the second largest community in the country. On Wednesday, like minded MPs from the region met at Parliament Buildings and development as well as unity were top of the agenda,” said Savula. He says disunity is to blame for the region being locked out of key Government appointments, and there is need to strike a good working rapport with the current establishment.

He says it is out of the initiative to build a closer working relationship with the Government that the region benefitted from two Principal Secretary positions in last week’s appointments, and that two major roads in Kakamega and Bungoma counties were also lined up for tarmacking.

 “We are going to zero on Western and work around the clock to whip all elected leaders into one party before the 2017 polls. Those who will resist the move will never secure any elective positions,” said Savula, who now chairs the powerful Agriculture Committee in Parliament.

Voter registration

Savula said while they want to unite the region and ensure the more than four million voters from the Luhya community are registered before 2017, the region will have to wait until 2022 to field a presidential candidate. The Standard on Sunday has established a proper unity bid will kick off soon with a major meeting to be convened by Busia Deputy Goverrnor Kizito Wangalwa.

The meeting was to be in June but some leaders are reported to have called for further consultations.

Meanwhile, political leaders from the region continue reading from different scripts over the future of bigwigs left out of the Jubilee government. Wamalwa two weeks ago held a meeting of his party MPs and other leaders in Nairobi where the consensus was that the party was ‘down but not out’. Among those who attended included former minister Soita Shitanda, MPs Bonface Otsyula (Bumula), Dr Reginalda Wanyonyi (Bungoma County women representative), Janet Nangabo (Trans Nzoia County women representative), Davies Wafula (Saboti) and Dan Wanyama (Webuye West).

“The meeting held at Wamalwa’s residence resolved another forum be held in Western in two weeks to do a major post-mortem of the party’s performance in last election, its MoU with Jubilee and participation in Government and how to strengthen it for future leadership,” said Mr Muliro Kunikina, a Wamalwa ally.

While Mudavadi has promised to strengthen UDF, Jirongo and former MP Kizito Mugali feel the region needs a local party to identify with.

The two have argued both ODM and UDF have their owners. But Mudavadi has in recent days pledged to strengthen UDF, and dismissed claims he was not in control of the party. Kakamega Senator Bonny Khalwale says Mudavadi should do a thorough post-mortem of UDF’s performance in the last election, recruit new members and go back to drawing board if he wants the party to be get a new lease of life.