A major fallout has emerged within Luo MPs opposing ODM leader Raila Odinga over State House funding and the perceived supremacy war linked to the delicate mission of toppling Raila as the Luo political king pin.
The camp of ODM rebellious politicians originally worked together in harmony but has since sharply been divided over the control of millions of shillings from State House, and protocol, when it comes to who should be firing shots.
For now, apart from landing state appointments, over Sh10 million has been channeled to the team to manage Raila’s side of the political divide within his own political dominion.
Weekly Citizen has established that the team presented an outrageous operation budget to president William Ruto handlers directly involved in handling the welfare of the politicians’ assigned to neutralise Raila under the guise of taking development to the Luo Nyanza, an opposition zone since the country’s independence in 1960s.
However, political analysts aver that a number of factors have threatened to abort the plan at its adolescent stage, something that is now worrying the sponsors of the mission.
A concerned State House operative noted that instead of focusing on the main assignment, the Luo politicians have reportedly become petty by diverting to a war zone that has split them into three main categories, and therefore hampering the mission.
Understandably, those from the South Nyanza harbour a feeling that it is their time to shine citing that they have badly been controlled by their counterparts from the other part of Nyanza and particularly Siaya, which is the bastion of Raila’s father, the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, and eventually the ODM leader.
It is slowly sliding into public domain that the power struggle to control Luo Nyanza politics caused an ugly internal war in Ruto’s administration, pitting ICT CS Eliud Owalo, who hails from Asembo in Siaya, and his interior counterpart PS Raymond Omollo, from the aggrieved South Nyanza.
A highly placed source told Weekly Citizen that the war is real as Owalo is busy assembling his political arsenals to remain on top of the power game. The said cold war between the duo is said to be fierce to an extent that they have resorted to witch-hunting one another.
Those in the know state that the recent expose on the misuse and theft of Sh100 million for retirees of Lake Basin Development Authority was reportedly sponsored by Owalo’s camp, ostensibly to clip the wings and horns of PS Omolo whose influence as the centre of power is growing at a disturbing rate, to the chagrin of Owalo and his troupe.
A source revealed that power barons are well informed of the ongoing animosity between the two and have instructed them to work in harmony by appearing in public gatherings together to avoid any suspicion that they are not on good terms.
This is informed by the fact of what is said to be forced PR that has seen the two warring factions attending meetings together to demonstrate that they are indeed working together.
Their latest public appearance together was last week when they met UDA grassroots leaders and coordinators from Nyanza region at Owalo’s Asembo home in Siaya county.
They later hosted a splinter Luo Council of Elders led by parallel chairman, Ker Nyandiko Ongadi, at the same venue.
In fact, many are questioning whether Owalo and Omolo were appointed to spearhead Luo politics or work for the people of Kenya through their respective ministries.
Even as Owalo and Omolo have been forced to downplay their differences, South Nyanza team led by former Nyakite MP Edick Anyanga aka Omuk lela is running amok, and causing ruckus, demanding to be on the frontline in the new operation to tame Raila that has come with a mouthwatering funding from State House.
Some UDA politicians are said to have launched scathing attacks against Luo politicians who appear to be financially favoured by State House at the expense of the UDA politicians who argue that they sacrificed for Ruto’s presidency and therefore should not be neglected now that State House is generously releasing money in a similar fashion witnessed during the former president Daniel Moi era to contain political temperatures.
Weekly Citizen has established that part of the plot to finish Raila is to activate goons against his political activities, a replica of how the late Moi handled the veteran opposition leader.
It is imperative to note that Ruto is former president Moi’s political student.
Consequently, former Kisumu mayor the late Lawrence Oile was strategically deployed by Moi to manage Raila and by hook or crook, used the once dreaded faction of the Baghdad Boys goons, under Oudi Ogada, now a civic activist under the Kisumu Residents Association, to make sure that Raila did not hold a public meeting in Kisumu.
But apparently, Moi never succeeded in cracking the Luo political code, neither did former president Mwai Kibaki and the immediate former head of state Uhuru Kenyatta.
Political observers are quick to point out that the chaos witnessed in Kisii after Raila and his group held a rally at Gusii Stadium was part of the script to tame Raila in the entire Nyanza.
Raila, however, immediately fired back insisting that Ruto will not succeed in killing democracy Kenyans fought for decades.
The liberation group that also includes Bondo MP Gideon Ochanda and his Langata counterpart Felix Odiwuor aka Jalang’o is expected to lead a disruption on Raila’s political activities as a justification of heavy funding they are expecting from State House.
However, the group that has also former Kisumu governor Jack Ranguma, former MPs Jared Opiyo (Awendo), Martin Ogindo (Rangwe) Ken Obura (Kisumu Central ), Dalmas Otieno (Rongo) and Fred Outa (Kisumu senator), seems to be marooned in endless anti-Raila press conferences at Ruto’s Boulevard Hotel when not meeting Owalo and Omollo in Nairobi.
The team is facing hostility in Nyanza and have been dared by critics to conduct anti-Raila rallies openly across the country if they were true to their assignment.
Recently, DP Gachagua hosted an elected wing of the rebellious ODM politicians at his Harambee Annex office and reportedly gave them each Sh100,000 for attending the meeting, and posing for photos with him.
The legislators included Jalango, Nyamiti, Elisha Odhiambo (Gem), Paul Abuor (Rongo), Caroli Omondi, Ochanda and Tom Ojienda (Kisumu senator). A good number of politically rejected members of the group are the beneficiaries of the latest appointment made by president Ruto
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