Ruto and Raila losing their political grip in Gusiiland

President William Ruto, his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni and AUC candidate Raila Odinga arrive for the 4th edition of Piny Luo cultural festival in Bondo, Siaya county. President Ruto said that Got Ramogi epitomises the deep spiritual roots and traditions that are shared in the East Africa region. He added that the region will keep preserving such heritage to further unity and drive economic prosperity in East Africa.[PCS] President William Ruto and Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga are appearing to be losing their political grip in Gusiiland with the region now clamouring to have its own political party to galvanise the region in readiness for the 2027 general election. The two leaders who are now working together put up a spirited fight for the region prior to the 2022 general election as they contested for the Presidential seat scrambling for the 960,394 registered voters in Kisii and Nyamira Counties with sizable votes in other counties. Raila led in the presidential votes in the region getting 394,103 votes while Ruto who came in second got 213,682 votes while ODM party got six parliamentary seats with UDA party getting five parliamentary seats in the region while the remaining six went to other parties. Kisii had 637,111 voters while Nyamira had 323,283 voters according to the IEBC register with the votes seeming to be up for grabs in 2027 with the region residents appearing discontented with the two leaders they are accusing for sidelining them whenever there are job opportunities. Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka said Kenya social-economic political matrix is broken with the winners always sharing it all with the Gusii community now ready to negotiate just like other communities have been doing and would like to engage those willing to see Kenya like them. Onyonka said the reason as to why they are advocating for the community to have its own political party is to make sure that the more than a million vote and almost 20 MPs are valued whenever those in power are making crucial decisions which is not happening at the moment. "The clamour for the Gusii community to have its own political party is at a fever pitch since we have the numbers that count and it is unfortunate that communities that have less numbers than ours are benefitting more from government than us which should not be the case," said Onyonka. Gusii Parliamentary Caucus Chairman Joash Nyamoko said the truth is that the Gusii community at the moment does not have political value despite having more than 1 million votes since it was not united and cohesive enough to attract other Kenyans to seek partnership with them. Nyamoko said that the formation of a political party was not the most important thing to the community at the moment since there are several parties associated with individuals from the community stating that what is required is political hygiene with leaders respecting each other. "I would like to say as elected political leaders from the Gusii region we have disappointed our people since we are each looking for opportunities while undercutting each other instead of sitting down as community leaders and championing what is good for us," said Nyamoko. Nyamoko said when President Ruto was seeking to form a broad-based government he engaged the former Prime Minister despite their previous political differences since he noted that he was a very influential leader who commands a huge political constituency and cannot be ignored. "National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula is another good example despite having very few MPs aligned to FORD KENYA has been able to gain a lot from this administration since he has the full backing of his people something that is lacking among Gusii leaders," said Nyamoko. Kitutu Chache South MP Anthony Kibagendi said it was time for the members of the Gusii community to have their own political party so that they can effectively bargain for the national cake since they are currently being taken for a ride by the major political formations. Kibagendi said ODM Party must stop treating the Omogusii community as second class partners since they have genuinely been very patient and respectful, despite extended periods of discrimination and that it should be known that in Parliament it is only Gusii Azimio MPs that are in single committees. He said no MP allied to Azimio from the Gusii region is a Chairperson or Vice Chairperson of a parliamentary committee while there are other ODM MPs who are in up to three committees in the current Parliament which is a clear pointer to favouritism which should not be the case. "We negotiated for the position of Party Chairman or Deputy Party Leader for Governor Simba Arati and a Cabinet Secretary Position for the longest serving NEC member Timothy Bosire, what happened instead Governor Gladys Wanga was made Chairperson and Governor Simba Arati given a watered down position of Deputy Party Leader," said Kibagendi. Kisii County Assembly Deputy Speaker Jacob Bagaka said that the Gusii community already has got a political vehicle in the name of United Progressive Alliance of which is working around the clock to have a national outlook by shading off the tribal tag of being a Gusii region only party. "The United Progressive Alliance National Governing Council is working towards ensuring we have 26 new party offices across the country by July this year, we are also planning to distribute some of the senior party positions to members from other parts of the country," said Bagaka. He said that UPA will rally behind former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi whom they are proud to sell as their Presidential candidate since he has already distinguished himself as a great servant of Kenyans in the previous positions he has held over the years. Nyamira Senator Okongo Omogeni said that the emerging trend in our politics is for coalitions based on one's support base and that the Gusii nation should not be left lagging behind whenever the national cake is being shared since they equally deserve to get sizeable share when it matters. Political Risk Analyst Dismus Mokua said that the Gusii nation is made up of probably the most liberal voters who make independent electoral choices with their choices influencing and informing political conversations across Kenya. Mokua noted that a number of elected leaders across major political parties from the Gusii nation have suggested that despite being a key component in their political formations they have been sidelined by powerful national politicians. "Both Ruto and Raila have powerful political bases in Kenya, to have a strong grip of Kisii political, they must identify Abagusii aspirations, identify Gusii leaders with political capital and align interests," said Mokua. The political risk analyst said that for Ruto and Raila relying on novice and inexperienced politicians as a stepping stone to secure Kisii vote is a recipe for monumental failure. He said that it must not be lost that Gusii region has probably the highest number of political parties and political party leaders.

Ruto and Raila losing their political grip in Gusiiland

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