By Anderson Ojwang
Once again the Luo community is turning gullible and falling into the trap of making the community a battle ground. A battle which neither serves the interest nor the aspiration of the community.
But a battle meant to confine her as a violent and ever fighting community, a battle not worth an investment in.
The political class fearing the 2027 general election and the demise of the political hanging coat, the late Raila Amolo Odinga, the politicians are gasping and hanging on a straw for survival.
They are creating imaginary enemies and objects of attack to sway, create and sustain a false narrative which has least value for the community’s socio-economic growth but personal monetary gains.
Clutching on former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua as the object of attack, the ODM leadership have trained their guns on Mama Ida Odinga for allegedly inviting the former deputy president to the anniversary celebrations.
Hullabaloo
The current noise by the Luo political class led by Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga, Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi, Migori Governor Ochilo Ayacko and a section of the MPs are but indeed survival tactics.
The demise of Raila has radically opened the political space and exposed the leaders to an open contest, which is turning out to be a nightmare.
The current ODM leadership and most of the elected leaders were beneficiaries of not only Raila Odinga but, to a larger extent, Mama Ida Odinga, who intervened for the majority to secure the ODM ticket to ride to victory.
Failed boycott
Mama Ida said most of the ODM leadership boycotted the event, hoping it was going to fail, and were now enraged that it was a success.
“The bitterness and the current attack you see is purely because their effort to forestall the event failed miserably. It’s unfortunate but the people will speak at the ballot,” she said.
After their boycott failed to neutralise the event, they have now taken to online and physical attacks on Mama Ida.
The unwarranted attacks are meant to sway public opinion but, in reality, the leaders are political minnows to the Odingas and do not control the political constituency Ida enjoys locally and nationally.
Battle ground
Already, the Luo community is being turned into a laughing stock by other communities who are watching with glee as community members tear one another apart.
The question the community needs to ask is whether she is presenting a presidential candidate in the 2027 election or not.
The answer is plain: no. And why should the community butcher one another for a seat they are not even contesting for?
A laughable joke taken too far for parochial gain, which is not in the interest of the community, and a failure to understand her current role in the country’s emerging political dispensation.
The bride
The Luo community should wake up from political activism and redefine her role in the 2027 election as a bride in the bigger game of political marriage.
The community must open herself to the suitors and enjoy the goodies from the prospective admirers before settling for the groom at the ballot.
The current battles in the region must be brought to a halt and the bride mentality instilled in the community.
Voices of reason
Siaya Governor James Orengo said the attack on the Raila family was coordinated and part of a bigger agenda against the community.
“I am shocked and extremely disturbed by the coordinated and mobilised attacks against H.E. Canon Ida Odinga.
“Ida Odinga was not just Raila’s wife but a fighter in the struggle against oppression, injustice and despotism. The vitriol and propaganda directed against the Raila Odinga family smacks of treachery and betrayal.
“The language used by the mercenaries was slowly seeping to the surface even when Jakom was still alive. They have sold the Party and now want to throw Raila Odinga’s legacy into the dustbin of history. It will never happen,” he wrote.
Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo Junior wrote that Raila forgave his rivals and betrayers and wondered why some leaders wanted Ida to hold a grudge.
“Many people are criticising Mama Ida Odinga for inviting Rigathi Gachagua to Raila’s first anniversary.
“Their argument is that Rigathi harboured animosity towards Raila, and some even allege he attempted to eliminate him during the 2023 AZIMIO protests,” he wrote.
In his reasoning, Mutula said Gachagua did not even attend and that the invitation was a gesture, not a coronation.
“We seem to have forgotten what Mama Ida told us during Raila’s burial. She was very clear: She will not inherit her husband’s enemies, and Raila’s enemies will not automatically become hers.
“That statement was not politics. It was wisdom. It was Christianity. It was motherhood,” he wrote.
Mutula said Raila ate and dined with his harshest critics and opponents and that this was a virtue Kenyans should emulate.
“Raila Odinga was a man who would have lunch with his harshest critics. He forgave Moi, he worked with Kibaki who defeated him (Kibaki didn’t defeat Raila Odinga though), he shook hands with Uhuru who fought him. If Baba himself never kept permanent enemies, why should Mama Ida keep them for him?” he wrote.
Mutula said an anniversary was not a political rally, but a moment of healing, of grace, of remembering a life that taught us forgiveness.
“If we truly loved Raila, we should emulate his capacity to forgive, not his capacity to fight.
“Mama Ida is not betraying Raila. She is honouring him in the most Raila way possible — by opening the door even to those who closed doors on him.
“Let us not teach a widow how to mourn her husband,” he wrote.
