By Sandra Blessing
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, in a bid to rewrite the story of Nyanza from a predominantly opposition and marginalised region to an accommodative and significant player in the government, has passed over the baton to governors.
In pursuit of this, Raila first entered into a political merger with President Daniel Arap Moi’s KANU party through his now defunct National Development Party.
From KANU, Raila became an integral part of the NARC coalition that drove KANU out of power after Mwai Kibaki defeated Uhuru Kenyatta in the 2002 presidential election.
However, a fall-out brought Nyanza back to the opposition, and in 2007 ushered in the coalition government, with Kibaki as President and Raila as Prime Minister.
In 2013, Raila lost the presidential election to Uhuru, and Nyanza was again confined to the opposition. Come the 2017 election, Uhuru returned to power.
After the elections, however, Uhuru entered into a political handshake with Raila, and once again, Nyanza became significant in government.
Raila, in most of his speeches, promised that he would not leave Nyanza in the opposition, even after losing the 2022 presidential election to William Ruto.
The region was once again out of government, with impeached Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua claiming that the government was for shareholders—those who voted for President Ruto in the last general election.
However, Nyanza’s stay in the opposition was short-lived with the formation of the broad-based government that brought Ruto and Raila together.
The formation of the broad-based government faced opposition from within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party and externally from the opposition, who viewed the alliance as a betrayal.
But ODM National Chairperson, Gladys Wanga, became one of the fiercest supporters and openly differed with and advocated for the broad-based government.
Wanga, the Homa Bay Governor, took advantage of the emerging political moment to lobby for development projects from the national government for her county.
A combined effort between Wanga and Internal Security Permanent Secretary Dr Raymond Omollo opened the county to a tray full of government development goodies.
With the appointment of John Mbadi as Cabinet Secretary for Treasury and Economic Planning, the trio has transformed Homa Bay from a sleepy county to an economically vibrant and visible region.
The recently held Madaraka Day celebrations in Homa Bay Town opened up the region to economic investments and witnessed serious infrastructural development from the national government.
Wanga said it was important to complement county development projects with national development projects to achieve the desired objectives.
“Our people are taxpayers and deserve their fair share of development. It is incumbent upon us as county leaders under the Constitution to cooperate with the national government to get this share, our political position notwithstanding.
The working relationship brought about by the broad-based arrangement has, however, helped make this possible,” she said.
On several occasions, Wanga has openly differed with Party Secretary Edwin Sifuna and others opposed to the broad-based government.
Wanga has repeatedly maintained that the party was rightfully working with the government and that they would not engage in street demonstrations or demonising the government.
“Jakom, a time like this last year, we were on the streets protesting for a better Kenya, but we were told that we were destroying the country’s economy and that we should desist from demos.
They wondered and asked why we were ever protesting.
Now they are asking why Raila is quiet, they are asking why Wanga is silent.
I want to tell them: we are not going to the streets. We are not going for any demos.
Let them go to the streets. Let them pick up from where we left off. We cannot afford to be a protesting community all the time.
This time, as a community, we are not going to the streets. We are supporting the government of the day to deliver on its mandate.
We will support the leader who wants to unite Kenya and distribute the national cake equitably.
It is time we concentrated on development and tapped into the opportunities the government is bringing our way. We have been marginalised for a long time,” she said.
Sifuna has maintained that ODM will not support President Ruto and will continue to correct the government where necessary.
“I want to say here, that when some of our members are busy drinking milk in the government and do not want us to point out the bad things in the government, as your Secretary-General, I will not hesitate to point out the wrongs in the government.
I will ensure that the party remains true to the ideals it was founded, and I will follow the guidelines you gave to me.
Let those who are enjoying honey from the government do so on their own accord, but as a party, I will not hesitate to point out the ills,” he said.
But currently, Siaya Governor James Orengo, who was initially opposed to the broad-based government, recently led a delegation from the county and returned with a tray full of goodies.
From the State House, Orengo has been traversing various government offices holding consultations over development projects.
Orengo wrote in his X handle:
“I had a successful meeting with the CS Ministry of Defence to discuss implementation of the presidential directive on development projects in Siaya County,”
Equally, Kisumu Governor Prof Anyang’’ Nyong’o, after his recent visit to State House, wrote in his X handle:
“Today marks a monumental day for Kisumu County!
I had the immense privilege of leading a dedicated delegation comprising our Members of Parliament, County Executives, esteemed clergy, and professionals to State House for a crucial meeting with H.E. President William Samoei Ruto.
Our discussions centred entirely on accelerating the development agenda for Kisumu, and I’m thrilled to share the incredible outcomes.
I extend my deepest gratitude to President Ruto for his unwavering commitment and positive reception to our proposals.
His dedication to Kisumu’s growth was evident through a series of transformative pledges that will undoubtedly reshape our county’s future.”
