The origin of Otieno Kajwang’ s most treasured magical fly-whisk

The death of Homa Bay Senator Otieno Kajwang’ has created a political vacuum in Nyanza.

Known for his humour and as a fierce debater, little is known of his magical fly-whisk that he waved at political rallies.

It is said he inherited it from the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga’s family, Raila’s father, long before the Senator ventured into politics.

In 1992, he represented Jaramogi in a court case against former President Daniel arap Moi, and it is believed that is when he cut his political niche.

In the Luo tradition, the totem is not carried by any ordinary person because it symbolises power.

Suba Member of Parliament John Mbadi said Kajwang’ had high regard for the item. “It was the only black fly-whisk he would carry around in all political rallies, and with it, he used to fire up the crowd. Even his close allies did not know where he kept it,” he said.

Kajwang’ reportedly at one time was forced to drive from his Mbita residence to Kericho to look for the fly whisk after it went missing just when he had attended a function in the area.

However, it was later found below a seat in his vehicle after a long search. Having reportedly acquired the fly-whisk from Luo Nyanza’s political doyen, elders say Kajwang’’’ was destined for bigger things - the ultimate being to succeed Raila as the region’s political supremo.

Closest confidante

In the entire Nyanza region, Kajwang’ was perceived to be Raila’s closest confidante and most consistent loyalist, given that the region’s other influential and experienced politicians like senators James Orengo (Siaya) and Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o (Kisumu) had on-and-off slippery relationship with the CORD leader.

Orengo had parted ways with Raila in 1996 when he supported the candidature of Kijana Wamalwa against Raila for the leadership of Ford-Kenya, and in 2002 when he vied for presidency on a Social Democratic Party (SDP) ticket, before teaming up with him again in 2007.

Nyong’o also defied the wave of Raila’s National Democratic Party that was sweeping Luo Nyanza in 1997 and vied for the then Kisumu Rural parliamentary seat on SDP. He lost. He, later in 2002, rejoined Raila in the National Rainbow Coalition.

Raila relied on Kajwang’s boldness, charm and charisma to shoot down his opponents, and his death at a time of growing dissent in his backyard complicates matters for the former premier and his Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) in Nyanza.

His vast political experience would undoubtedly have been critical to ODM at a time the party is battling a growing rebellion stoked by disgruntled members calling for change of leadership. The perceived rebels, mostly youthful legislators known as Young Turks, have openly challenged Raila to pave way for a fresh blood.

Known for his theatrics, eloquence and a knack for daring his opponents, he was obviously an arsenal ODM required to calm the growing rebellion in Raila’s Nyanza backyard.

Gem MP Jakoyo Midiwo, another close ally of Raila, says it would be difficult for the ODM leaders to find another point-man in South Nyanza. “Some politicians will come up and try to fit in his shoes, but the truth is that Raila cannot find another Kajwang’ in the area,” he argues.

Unknown to many, Kajwang’ loved to worship in “Legio Maria” although he was a Seventh Day Adventist. “Like Jaramogi, Kajwang’ also worshiped in Legio Maria and that is why, other than being a symbol of political power, both of them carried fly-whisks,” says Midiwo.

Eulogising the late senator, Raila confessed that his death was a setback to the Opposition outfit.
“It is a terrible. We have lost a very strong, staunch and dedicated member of ODM and the CORD fraternity,” Raila said. With his demise, Raila will be forced to go back to the drawing board to choose his new point-man in the ‘rebel’ dominated South Nyanza region.

From the area, only four MPs have escaped the mole tag- Mbadi, Omondi Anyanga (Nyatike) Junnet Mohammed (Suna East), and Oyugi Magwanga (Kasipul).

But Kajwang’s closeness with Raila made him rough feathers with some ODM members, who felt he was misleading the party leader, whom failed to capture Presidency in 2013.

The Senator was accused of not failing to issue national Identification cards in Raila’s strongholds when he was Immigration minister in the Grand Coalition government.

There was also a bad blood between the Senator and the Young Turks, who had accused him of calling them Jubilee moles when they declared their quest to ascend to the helm of the party in the run –up to its botched February elections.

In April, he was overthrown from being ODM chairman in Homa Bay County branch by a faction of local delegates, but was later reinstated by Raila.Kajwang’s last public function was in Oyugis last week when he hosted Raila in a meeting to stem growing dissent in the region.

At the event, he insisted that ODM should revoke the membership of the perceived rebel MPs for a fresh election to be ordered in their constituencies.

“The party should get rid of all the weeds that want to choke us; we want to go and meet the rebels in a by-election to prove who is stronger,” he said. Raila concurred, and warned the party rebels to either toe the line or ship out. “You are either with us or with them; you either support us or work with Jubilee,” Raila warned.

Car accident

So loyal was Kajwang’ to the party that even after his car was involved in an accident at Othoro, on his way to attend the Oyugis meeting, he did not change his mind.
Prior to his death, Kajwang’ was said to be in consultation with the perceived party rebels from Nyanza, most who snubbed the Oyugis meeting, to bring back sanity.

Ndhiwa MP Agustinno Netto said he met the senator, hours to his death, and that they talked about party issues.

Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi also said he met Kajwang’ to review the outcome of the meeting that resolved that the party should crack the whip on the errant MPs.

Anyanga said in honour of Kajwang, ODM leaders should bury their difference. “He stood for the unity of ODM and he was a foremost defender of Raila. The only way we can uphold Kajwang’s legacy is to embrace unity of purpose,” Anyanga said yesterday.

And the senator’s death seem to have toned down the political temperatures in Nyanza, at least for now, with the perceived rebels saying they are not moles for Jubilee alliance. Besides his loyalty to ODM, Kenya Professional Boxing Commission Chairman Hillary Alila says he balanced both politics and development.

“He used his closeness with Raila to have the tarmacking of Homa Bay-Mbita road fast tracked during the Grand Coalition Government,” Alila says.

Given the death of Kajwang’, a political analyst and Maseno University don Tom Mboya argues that Raila must change tact to stamp his influence in the region.

“He should now bring all the dissenting voices on board without threatening them to quit the party. He must also craft a proper working relationship between the youthful MPs and their older counterparts to remove the suspicion that threaten the unity of the party,” he said.

Speaking to The Standard on Sunday, Kajwang’s close associates in Nyanza said the senator stood for unity of the region.

“We should honour him by being loyal to the party and by burying our political differences to prepare for the 2017 political contest in unity,” says Magwanga.

The senator who died at the age of 58 on Tuesday night over alleged heart attack was first elected as Mbita Constituency legislator in 1997 where he served for uninterrupted three terms before switching to the Senate in 2013.