By Anderson Ojwang
Kisumu stood, spoke, and declared where the spirit of the enigma, the late Raila Amolo Odinga, lives.
It was a moment to determine the “owner of the music” and the “thief” between Linda Ground and Linda Mwananchi, and indeed Kisumu rose to make a clear signal.
Linda Ground is the moderate wing of Raila that got into a political arrangement with President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) during the Gen Z uprising over high taxes and the cost of living.
Linda Mwananchi faction is the militant wing of Raila, a fallback strategy if the alliance with President Ruto flopped, and this is qualified by his last directive that no member of the party should campaign for two terms.
Six months after the death of Raila, Kisumu woke up again to stake its position in the national political map and dispensation.
Reality check for President Ruto
It was a re-awakening call to President William Ruto that he could not succeed in having control of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
During Raila’s burial, he declared that he would not allow the party to fall into the wrong hands of those opposed to the broad-based government, but he has miserably failed to inherit the Enigma’s political constituency.
Even the recent confirmation of Siaya Senator Dr Oginga Oburu, Governor Gladys Wanga as the National Chairperson, Governor Simba Arati and his counterpart Abdulsamad Nassir as deputy party leaders has paid little or no dividend in Ruto’s political game plan.
For President Ruto, reliance on Linda Ground, Raila’s political orphans, seems costly as they are far removed from the reality on the ground.
The hope that Alego MP Sam Atandi and a section of MPs from the region could have marshalled support to scuttle the rally fell flat and left the team punctured, deflated, and annihilated.
Red flag for Linda Ground
For Oburu, Kisumu exposed the team’s lack of political knack, grasp, and strategy in countering the Siaya Governor James Orengo-led wing.
Kisumu Women Representative Ruth Odinga said Kisumu spoke, and it was a wake-up call to Linda Ground that all was not well and they would perish.
“I am happy that Kisumu has finally re-established our political stand in the country. It is a reawakening moment for Linda Ground to either agree to talk or lose out altogether. The signs are very clear. They must stop chest thumping and accept reality on the ground. We must admit all and scatter none,” she said in an interview.
ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna formally introduced Orengo as the party leader amid cheers and shouts.
“Our party leader Governor Orengo, come over here. Orengo, we want to thank you for supporting the youths and mentoring us in politics,” he said.
But Oburu on Friday dismissed Orengo’s alleged ouster as a pipe dream and said he cannot be the party leader of ODM.
“Orengo can only be the party leader of birds and not ODM. He doesn’t have what it takes to be the party leader of ODM,” he said.
Orengo’s declaration that Linda Mwananchi will sponsor candidates in all elective seats and the reception from the crowd was so telling.
Decades of marred ODM nominations and destroyed political careers have been haunting the party, and the recent announcement by the party that it had opened a portal for aspirants received a mixed signal.
The declaration by Orengo that he had ousted Oburu as the party leader has gone ahead to confine Oburu to the periphery, as most of his allies are also scheming and plotting on how to take over the mantle from him.
The Sifuna storm
The failure by Linda Ground to kick out the Secretary General, Mr Edwin Sifuna, from the party has continued to send a wrong signal and boosted the SG’s rating nationally.
Speaking in Kisumu, Sifuna said: “I am Sifuna. Through your prayers and God’s love, I am still the Secretary General of ODM. I stand here in Kisumu as the SG of ODM. We are Raila’s students, and he never mentored cowards.”
He said his return to Kisumu was emotional and that Luhya and Luo unity will not be broken by some political quarters.
“This is my first time returning to Kisumu after the burial of my boss. We were together in the stadium, and it was peaceful. I want to tell you, thank you. Yesterday, I went to Bondo to speak with my boss. I want to thank my brother Babu Owino for bringing us to Kisumu and Nyalenda, where he grew up,” he said.
Sifuna’s presence as the SG of the party continues to undermine Linda Ground’s hold on power and negates their political agenda.
Goons and Osotsi’s assault
The assault on Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi and the linking of the goons to the broad-based arrangements is working negatively on President Ruto’s political agenda and endearing the masses to the Orengo wing.
Sifuna and Babu said they had been threatened that they would not hold a rally in Kisumu, and today was a confirmation of their failure.
“There are people who told us we cannot get into Kisumu. They are now in hiding. We are in Kisumu. We are here. Luhya, say thank you for standing with Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi. We will remain united. Luhya and Luo will be united. I will never disrespect the Luo community,” Sifuna said.
Drawing board
For President Ruto, despite having made serious inroads in Nyanza, Linda Ground and his broad-based team have failed to exploit the opportunity.
Instead, they are turning out to be Raila’s baggage he inherited and may be victims of his own political machinations.
He will either be forced to seek political alliance with Linda Mwananchi or suffer the decades of Raila’s political baggage which negated his presidential ambition.
