RAILA - TUJU WAR OF ATTRITION EXPLODES AMONG THE LUOS LIVING IN AMERICAN CITIES

BY Arrum Tidi
Luocome, Kisumu

Intensive political wrangling over who is more loyal to Raila Odinga has hit members of the Luo community living in the United States like tornado.

This could be judged by sharp exchange of internet notes by the group and a certain mischievous characters who have gone solo branding any member of the community who accidentally or by arrangement meet and holds talks with visiting top Narc government officials as traitors.

The so-called pro-Raila Odinga group, which is consisting of a bunch of political goons are said to be threatening even those visiting the Kenya Embassy in Washington to have their personal affairs sorted out by the mission staff. Meeting and holding talks with the Kenyan envoy in Washington, Mr. Rateng Oginga Ogego is enough to earn somebody derogatory names.

This was evident in harsh notes posted in the website by one Justus Otiende, a Kenyan supposedly living in New Jersey, who is acting as the head of Raila Odinga's youth wingers in that city. One by the name Dr. Ayaga had met with the visiting Kenya Government spokesman Dr. Mutua for half an hour. The meeting has since become a big issue, which is likely to derail the plans for fund raising for Raila's 2007 presidential campaign.

One Kenyan living in the US was recently at loss, saying Kenyans living in the diaspora are free to visit their country's missions either in Washington or in New York and discuss certain personal or public issues with the mission officials. In fact, they should visit the Ambassador quite often and whenever they wished to discuss with him their personal or public affairs. Such visit should not be limited or curtailed by the political lunatics who brand anyone seen talking to the Mission officials as a 'traitor'.

A Kenyan who wished to conceal his identity, says that the Kenyans, particularly members of the Luo community living in the US should appreciate the presence of HE Ambassador Rateng Oginga Ogego, because he is the first Luo ambassador to be posted to the seat of the US Government in Washington D.C. Any sane Kenyan either a Luo, a Maasai or a Kikuyu should make good use of his or her home government mission staff.

Justus Otiende, who is said to be a man of no fixed abode and a mysterious character possibly lives in New Jersey, which has the largest concentration of Luos living in the US or in Washington, DC. He is fond of antagonistic attitudes towards moderate and conservative Kenyans who prefer going about their business with much little to subscribe to the empty political slogans about ODM-K or Narc-K back home.

Otiende recently wrote a very derogatory article against one Kenyan by the name of Mr. Emmanuel Agwa, accusing him of being Raphael Tuju's mole who has penetrated RAILA 2007 team.

The malicious and unfounded allegations against Mr. Agwa by Otiende has since angered many Kenyans living in the US and at home who have now appealed to Raila to restrain his loose talking fanatic supporters in the US and Canada.

Agwa's only mistake is that he is on talking terms with Ambassador Ogego Rateng, who accidentally hails from Asembo in Rarieda Constituency. He was appointed Kenyan Ambassador soon after the year 2002 general election while Raphael Tuju was still serving in the cabinet as the Minister for Communications, Information and Broadcasting. He is a graduate of the University of Nairobi who had remained jobless for years after completing his education and at one time served as the executive director of the Oginga Odinga Foundation.

In this respect Tuju had no hands in Rateng's appointment. In fact, the Luos should be proud and appreciate the idea of having a man of their own sitting in such prestigious office in Washington and must stop making a fuss about it. They should be grateful for President Mwai Kibaki for having posted their own son to head such an important mission instead of antagonizing the envoy and fellow Kenyans who visit his office for personal and public related issues. He is there for the mutual benefit of all Kenyans irrespective of their ethnical and tribal backgrounds, the Luos included.

Another scathing criticism of Raila Odinga style of leadership in Luo Nyanza came from the self-exiled Kenyan clergyman living in Toronto, Canada, the Rev. Okoth Otura.

The Rev. Okoth Otura has told Raila Odinga to restrain his marauding and drunken youths roaming the streets of Kisumu to stop harassing and intimidating the former Kisumu Mayor Clerkson Otieno Karan, a member of Narc-K who was recently nominated by the ruling party to represent Kenya in the Arusha based East Africa Legislative Assembly.

Rev. Otura, a former Raila Odinga's political associate, who was himself recently slandered by a Raila goon in Toronto termed such exercises as dictatorial and denial of Karan's basic human rights.

He cited Raila Odinga leadership style to that of Idi Amin in Uganda who posted his security agents to eliminate anyone opposed to his misrule. This kind of tyrants should be something of the past in a modern Kenya. Raila Odinga should set a good example of giving the Luos their basic democratic rights of choosing their new MPs without interference from any quarters. Raila, he said cannot claim to be a democrat when his followers go around intimidating anyone they perceived to be his (Raila's political enemy) either real or imaginery.

Raila has destroyed good leaders like James Orengo, Ojwang K'Ombudo, Mathews Onyango Midika, Prof. Ouma Muga, but only to mention a few and replaced them with semi-illiterate MPs in parliament. This is a big shame to the Luo community, which boasts the top intellectuals in Kenya. It is an issue which must be addressed before the next polls, said the Rev. Otura.

The Rev. appealed to the Luos to fight their own liberation war against tyranny and dictatorship. The recent events such as stone throwing in Rongo and Awendo towns are just iceberg and shape of things to come, if 'Agwambo' cannot stop the bad habit of imposing unpopular MPs on the Luos. By doing so, Raila is also abusing the trust and support the community had given to him and his late father Jaramogi Oginga Odinga for close to four decades.

He should stop persecuting and oppressing the Luos, said the Rev. Otura who is also the national chairman of Kenya Chapter of the Christian Democratic Party (Unregistered), www.cdmk.org .