12/09/2006
GRANTS
WECHE MOKADHO
;
Kisumu
8th Dec 2006
PANIC GRIPS MIGORI AS THE WORD GOES AROUND THAT GEORGE OWINO ACHOLA IS ON A POLITICAL COME BACK BID
By Leo Odera Omolo
Panic has gripped Migori constituency, especially among the several
parliamentary aspirants as the word went around that the former eloquent MP for the area George Owino Acholla is gearing to make a bid for a political come back.
The Migori seat has so far attracted five prominent personalities in the area
and the daggers are already drawn for a big battle ahead of the next year's
general elections.
Migori like any other constituencies in Luo-Nyanza is predominantly the LDP
and ODM_K stronghold. The party defacto leader Raila Odinga has the political clout hold of the area.
It is unclear whether Charles Oyugi Owino (Jalikowa) is still the favourite of
Agwambo but rumours making the round talks about the two men pursuing different agenda under mutual distrust
Whoever gets the blessings of Agwambo will have an easy ride over the rest.
George Owino Acholla was first elected to the seat in 1993 following the
abrupt defection of Charles Oyugi Owino (Jalikowa) who had won the seat on a Ford Kenya ticket. The party was then led by the late Jaramogi Odinga . But
Jalikowa, immediately after clinching the victory defected back to KANU even
before taking parliamentary oath of office. In the consequent by election that
followed George Owino Acholla ended Jalikowa's short stint political career
when he beat him hands down.
Migori constituency has had a lot of historical contradiction ever since its
inception in the year 1963. It was then the largest electoral Parliamentary
constituency in the greater southern Nyanza. But two other constituencies have
since been hived out of it. They included Uriri and Nyatike constituencies.
The late John Henry Okwanyo was elected the first MP for the larger Migori in the 1963 independence general election. He lost his seat in 1969 when a veteran politician, the late Lawrence Gerald Oguda won the seat. Okwanyo recaptured the seat in 1979 and Oguda was back in 1983 and lost the seat in 1988 to the late Simeon Gor Misiani (1988-2002).
In the first multi-party general election Gor lost to Charles Jalikowa who had
only occupied the seat for two months and then defected back to KANU causing the seat to be declared vacant, and the resultant outcome was the victory by George Owino Acholla on Ford Kenya ticket. Acholla successfully defended his seat in 1997, but surrendered it to Jalikowa in 2002.
Migori is a cosmopolitan constituency in the true sense of the word. It is
housing people from different ethnic groups such as the Luos, Subas, Kisiis,
Luhyias, Somalis, Kikuyus and Kurias. Its inhabitants come from the various Luo clans such as Karachuonyo, Rusinga and Mfangano Islands, Seme, Kisumu, Asembo, Alego, Uyoma and Gem.
The Majority of the votes however are the indigenous people of Suna origin.
The constituency has rich, fertile and arable land which is capable of
producing all kinds of cash crops such as sugar cane, Bananas. Residents also
say the area is good for keeping both dairy and beef animals, though the area is
infested by cattle rustling due to its border proximity to Kuria and Tanzania.
Due to booming trade and business in Migori town, many people from outside
especially members from other Luo clans such as Karachuonyo, Uyoma, Alego and Suba have made a big influx into the town in search of income. Migori also sees intensive smuggling in the town at times. The town is now predominantly a Somali colony, where there are large number of Somali traders with only few Asian traders left.
What is strange in Migori constituency is that the majority of votes are
concentrated within the town whose inhabitants are not necessarily people of
Suna or Suba origins, but represented the various Luo clans and non also Luos.
Out of the 62,000 registered voters nearly half of them are in Migori town.
The battle for control of Migori town votes is expected to cycle around those
candidates who live not far away from town centre.
Issues likely to play prominently during the campaign are bad roads,
improvement of educational facilities, the presence of large number of Somalis
traders who are being accused for having grabbed nearly every inch of land in
Migori town including school facilities and those previously reserved for social
amenities.
GEORGE OWINO ACHOLLA
Professionally, he is a Makerere trained computer engineer. He served with an international computer engineering company as its Kenyan Manager and later on he was in charge of entire East African region. He retired and entered into Parliamentary politics in around 1992.he had contested previously during KANU monolithic one party system but had lost badly to the late John Henry Okwanyo.
During his two terms in Parliament, Owino Acholla was credited for having been one of the top debaters who contributed to almost every motion, moved several successful motions and was the star of the NDP and later LDP groups. He was however being accused of excessive arrogance and with despising illiterate members of his constituents. This made him become an isolated man, contributing to his defeat by the flamboyant Charles Oyugi Owino (Jalikowa) in the year 2002 during the LDP preliminaries.
The rumours now making the round in Migori and its environs is that his
popularity has risen in the recent months. He hails from East Suna around Kwa
secondary School.
JOHN PESA
The Kenyatta University trained career secondary school teacher headed
various secondary schools as head teacher. He was later switched to Teachers
training Colleges and headed Migori and Igoji Teachers Training College from
where he was sent on forced premature retirement on disciplinary action. Pesa
now runs his own primary academy school in town. He hails from Nyarongi area of Migori but his original home is Karungu in the neigbouring Nyatike. He
contested in the year 2002 but lost during the LDP preliminaries to Charles
Oyugi Owino. Nyarongi is located to the south west of the constituency.
CHARLES OYUGI OWINO (JALIKOWA)
He is a former bank clerk who rose through the ranks to become the branch
manager. Thanks to the late PS Hezekia N. Oyugi who is believed to have
influenced his meteoric rise in the Bank. He was posted to several branches, but later to the main Kisumu branch where he was forced out in a huff following
allegations that he had given unsecured loans to his friends and relatives which
was running into millions of shillings.
When the rumours were rampant that the police were on his neck, Jalikowa
jumped into the bandwagon of the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, and won Migori Parliamentary seat in 1992 on the party ticket, trouncing the former MP Misiani of KANU thoroughly.
But as rumours that his imminent arrest and charge in court persisted Jalikowa
defected back to KANU even before taking the oath of office in parliament,
resulting in the subsequent by- election which saw the overwhelming victory for
George Owino Achola who contested the by-election on a Ford Kenya ticket, in a bruising election campaign in which Jaramogi himself was involved to ensure victory for his party's torch bearer George Owino.
Jalikowa recaptured Migori seat against George Owino in the year 2002 during the LDP preliminaries. He is, however, being faulted by the electorate for his love for the bottle and the skirt people. He hails from Kakirao, the sub-clan which occupied the south central part of the constituency. He has himself bought a piece of land and built a palatial home in Wasio sub-clan. But residents blame his social life set up, which has resulted in all his previous marriages breaking down. Even his two sister wives Mary and Benter are alleged to have fled the home, which is now unoccupied.
Owino Jalikowa, however, is said to have disbursed the contentious CDF money evenly to all the deserving projects. He has done the same with the High School Bursary Fund and other monies meant to help in the HIV/Aids control.
His critics blame him for his love for money, which they suspect could lead to
his being cast aside by the king's vote during crucial Parliamentary divisions
and voting. Raila's men on the ground view him as not a very trusted person, and could work to the disadvantage of his community unity where there is money involved.
How close he is to Raila at the moment has yet to be assessed. But his arch
rival George Owino Acholla is no doubt "Agwambos man" in the blood.
PASTOR WALTER OGWADA
Pastor Walter Ogwada is the son of the Ex-Chief Wilson Ogwanda who hails from Osingo area in the South East of the constituency. His father Wilson Ogwanda was a close political associate of both the late John Henry Okwanyo and T.J. Mboya who is believed to have influenced his appointment to the locational chief after he had served as a councilor in the former County Council of South Nyanza in the 1960s.
Rev. Ogwada is an American trained clergyman, but his CV could not be obtained immediately. He is believed to be one of the wealthiest business tycoons in Migori town running chains of Hardware shops, real estate management and landlord.
The Ogwada family influence in Migori town and its environs could influence
his chances of winning the election.
CHRISTOPHER CHACHE OGWE
A prominent educationist who had previously served as the PDE for Nairobi area after teaching in various educational institutions for many years. He was later appointed as an executive with the UNESCO Kenya chapter from which he retired a couple of years ago.
Chacha Ogwe hails from Wasio in South Central of Migori.He is considered as an indignant man. His candidature is said to be appealing more to the rural voters especially in Wasio and Kakarao area. But he has yet to make an impact in the whole of the constituency especially to the South west.
But the former educationist is said to be an orator and a man who could swing
the voters to his side easily whenever he speak.
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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