NYAKACH ELECTION FEVER TAKES TOLL

Leo Odera Omolo
  KISUMU
  25-11-2006
 
  CLANISM AND CATTLE RUSTLING TO DOMINATE CAMPAIGN IN NYAKACH
 
  Clanism and cattle rustling, misappropriation of the CDF and poor state of
access and feeder roads are the issues which are likely to feature prominently
in Nyakach Constituency in Nyando District.
 
  So far, close to 6,000 herds of cattle have been stolen or driven across
Nyando-Kericho District borders, but only a few numbers of them recovered.
 
  The recovery can as well be attributed to the good work being done by the
volunteer vigilante groups , sungu sungu bands of youths now operating in South East and South West Nyakach.
 
  Major road criss-crossing this rural farming constituency will be another
important subject to be tackled by the aspirants during the campaign.
 
  The incumbent MP Peter Ochieng Odoyo is said to have lost the confidence of the electorate and he is on his way out.  Odoyo has represented the constituency ever since 1997, thanks to his close association with the Luo political King pin Raila Amolo Odinga.  The Legislator has never won any clean election in the area ever since, but has been returned to the August House through hook and crook.
 
  This time around, Odoyo will face the elections against the able and credible
aspirants and all will be scrambling for the LDP/ODM-K ticket.
 
  Nyakach constituency which was hived out of the old and larger Nyando
Constituency in the early 1960s has had 5 different MPs since its inception
following the dissolution of the former upper House (Senate) by the government
in 1965.
 
  The former Senator for Centra Nyanza Ondiek Chilo became the first MP for
Nyakach 1966 - 1969.  He was detained along with other leaders of the defunct KPU and its leader the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga included following
disturbances in Kisumu in 1969.
 
  J.D. Akumu a veteran trade unionist became the second MP for the area.  He did not complete the five year term.  He moved to Accra , Ghana and become the founder of the Organisation of African Trade Union Unity (OATUU) and its first Secretary General.  In the general elections of 1974, the former Mayor of Kisumu the late Samson Odogyo won the election and represented Nyakach up to the year 1979 when the former Kisumu Town Clerk Ojwang' Kombudo won the election and represented the area for close to 15 years.
 
  Kombudo lost to J.D. Akumu again in 1992 during the first multiparty elections on the Ford Kenya ticket.
 
  Akumu lost to Peter Odoyo in 1997 in what was a repeat of what his father, the elder Odoyo had accomplished in 1974 - 1979.
 
  In the current politics, three people have lined up ready to wrestle the seat
from the unpopular Odoyo, come the year 2007.
 
 
  DR. ODERA ONGUDU
  Dr. Odera Ongudu the US trained PhD holder is a former Registrar of Maseno University.  He hails from the dominant Kadiang' a sub-clan which occupied Upper Nyakach , Nyabondo Plateau and South West stretching to Sango along the Nyakach-Karachuonyo constituency boundaries.  If the numerity of the voters and the clan is anything to go by, then Dr. Odera Ongudu Ofande has a better chance of beating Odoyo and other aspirants hands down.  His clan has the largest registered voters which is close to 10,000.
 
 
  OCHIENG' DAIMA
  Ochieng Daima is a Kisumu based businessman cum insurance executive.  He hails form the same Kabodho sub-clan with the incumbent MP Peter Odoyo in lower Nyakach.  He is likely to share the 7,000 plus registered voters in Kabodho with Odoyo.
 
  Ochieng Daima who is credited of being a resourceful man is said to be
politically a mediocre in terms of his academic background in comparison to
three other aspirants.  
 
  He is said to have spent a fortune in terms of donations for funeral expenses,
medical bills and cash money dished to youths and individuals.  He is also being
accused of allegedly using his massive wealth to win the hearts of Provincial
Administration and the Security Personnel working in the area.  H is unlimited
sources of money is rumoured to be associated with Nark Kenya party.
 
  He once opened fire at the LDP office at Pap Onditit during the party's
grassroot elections, but was never questioned by the police or booked for the
misuse of his licensed gun.  This has heightened the suspicion that he is the
Narc Government blue-eye boy in Nyakach.  These allegations, however, were not immediately confirmed.
 
  ENG. EVANS K'ODERA
  Eng. Evans Kodera is a structural engineer who is running his own firm of
consultants after working with several companies in both Kenyan and Uganda .
  K'Odera hails from Naki Koguta sub-clan which has produced two previous MPs, Ondiek Chelo and J.D. Akumu.  This is the second largest sub-clan after Kabothe and Kadiang'a in Nyakach.
 
  K'Odera candidature has so far made no significant impact in the area.  But it
is expected that more aspirants will j oin the race come next year.  The man to
watch is Dr. Oduru Ongudu who after retirement from his lucrative Maseno
University job has embarked on mobilization of the resource and development
efforts through the NGOs.
 
  Poor disbursement of the CDF money are some of the contentious issues which are likely to dominate election campaigns in Nyakach.
 
  Clanism  is also expected to raise its ugly head with the dominant Jok Diang'a
sub clan reportedly plannint to produce and support only one candidate who must be one of their own.
 
  Kadiang'a and Joka-Oguta sub-clans are sharing South East and South West
Nyakach and if the xx vote is onexxx after aspirants with the in for big ttrumble.
 
  Lower Nyakach has had the seat for too long ever since it was won in 1974 by the late Samson Odogyo who coincidentally happened to be the father of the incumbent Peter Odoyo.  It is also the home of the former Minister for Water Development, Ojwang' Kombudo who held on the seat for 15 years.
 
  PETER OCHIENG' ODOYO
  The incumbent is facing myriad of accusations which included inaccessibility
to the electorate, poor leadership style, cheating the constituents and
scrambling for businesses at the multi million Sondu-Miriu Hydro-electric Power project, being financed by the Japanese Government to the tune of Kshs. 18 billion.
 
  Other allegations against Odoyo is that during his two terms as the MP for the
area, he has yet to initiate any one single socio-economic project to his
credit, the misuse of the CDF money and rigging himself to parliament without
going through the proper LDP party preliminaries.
 
  And over depending on the bickering of Raila Odinga whose failing to deliver
the goods to the electorate and failing to give proper guideline on how the
local people could eradicate the stock theft activities within the two
administrative Division of Pap  ONditi and Upper Nyakach.
 
  The common popular saying in the area now is that "enough is enough."

  ENDS
  Leooderaomolo@yahoo.com    

The writer is LUOCOME REPORTER based in Kisumu. We urge all LUOCOME members with pressing issues pertaining to media and press releases to kindly contact him from any where in world. He will assist you to get true picture of your Village Developement.
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