Elders chased out of Ofafa Hall amid row over ownership

In their heydays, Luo elders and members of the Luo Council of Elders were the pinnacle of hope and sanity in the community.

Their word was law and they were a focal point in deciding the direction the community took on important matters, including politics and forging peace between feuding clans.

Today, however, the council is steeped in leadership wrangles as elders fight over lucrative assets.

One faction led by Odungi Randa, who is claiming legitimacy, is planning to officially install him. The other faction led by Nyandiko Ongadi has also planned a meeting at Ofafa Hall.

The scramble for the once-powerful council is being fought in courts, in public and has divided politicians with Raila Odinga’s ODM leaning towards Randa, while politicians allied to President William Ruto are backing Ongadi.

A showdown is looming as the two feuding factions of the council had organised parallel meetings on Friday at the historic Ofafa Hall, even as its occupation remains contested.

The developments have turned the hall that hosted many meetings where weighty matters were deliberated and decided into a battle zone as the two factions fight for its ownership.

In its heydays, the hall located in the heart of Kisumu town was the headquarters of the Luo nation where several rituals were performed. 

On Tuesday, chaos erupted at the historic hall in Kisumu after rowdy youth chased away Ongadi and his faction, accused them of attempting to divide the community.

The elders who had converged for a meeting at Ofafa Hall, which was recently repossessed by the County Government of Kisumu, were asked to leave the premises.

The youth claimed the only legitimate chairperson of the council was Randa.

Ongadi, who leads a rival camp in the Luo Council of Elders, has been at loggerheads with the group led Randa over the control of the historic building.

Last week, the county government announced that it had reclaimed the historic building over land rates arrears amounting to Sh86 million.

Ofafa Memorial Hall was built in memory of the late Ambrose Ofafa, a pre-independence trade unionist who was killed in Nairobi.