Kisumu

18/09/07

With the general elections only a stone throw away witchdoctors in Luo - Nyanza are said to be minting thousands of shillings while fleecing the pockets of parliamentary and civic aspirants with impunity.

Witches are in booming business season and even some of the battle hardened MPs re said to be parting with colossal amount of money hiring the services of witchdoctors to predict their fate.

Others, according to impeccable sources in Migori and Rongo districts, it is being alleged have deepened their hands into their pockets and sacrificed cash in consultation with medicine men.

An unnamed MP is said to have paid a cool Ksh. 50,000 to a witchdoctor to cleanse and predict his fate. The balance which could be of the same amount would be paid after the mission is accomplished.

The local medicine men are said to be working in collaboration with their Tanzanian witchdoctors from Sukumaland and Simbawanga.

Among the assignment given by those aspiring for elective posts and offices is to cause bad omen, which could include motor accidents and lightning struck those they perceive to be their strongest opponents. Witchdoctors, according to impeccable sources have pitched camps in several small rural towns like Oyugis, Rongo, Kendu-Bay, Awendo , Sori,Mbita and Migori.

One notorious witchdoctor from Komenya area of Ndhiwa is said to be leading in the most booming trade. Politicians sent their trusted agents to consult him (name withheld), especially those having an uphill task to overcome their rivals.

So far no incident has occurred as a result of the bad omen brought about by the consulted witchdoctors. Some of the common conmen are also said to be preying on unsuspecting aspirants while masquerading as witchdoctors. They are exploiting them to the maximum under the guise of making accurate prediction about how the outcome the election will be in favour of their clients.

Those aspirants who wanted bad omen to befall their opponents such as motor accidents, anything harmful or lightning to strike their rivals are allegedly parting with more money.

A female aspirant in Rongo constituency admitted she had heard the bad rumour that one of his rivals had consulted a witchdoctor to inflict something harmful to herself and her family but she said that did not cause her any worry. She is soldering on with her campaign.

Meanwhile the unholy and unpopular political slogan currently deployed by the sitting Luo MPs of branding their perceived stronger challengers as those who are serving the interests of other political parties outside the ODM is likely to backfire.

A group of Luo MPs have been conducting a series of rallies across the entire length and depth of Luo-Nyanza telling the electorate that they were the right people who had the key for all nomination processes in the region.

The group had told the audiences at the various public rallies that those new spirants challenging their re-election were the enemies of Raila Odinga and would not succeed in their quest for parliament seats anywhere in Luo Nyanza

The legislators are said to be on the warpath branding any stronger challengers as agents and moles of the Narc government. But the pack of lies accompanying these pronouncements did not augur well, taking into account that nearly 100 per cent of voters in Luo - Nyanza are all out for ‘Agwambo’!

It remain to be seen how these pack of lies would be selling among the Luo voters who are arguably the most enlightened lots in Kenya.The electorate view these remarks as cheap propaganda hatched by the MPs to save their faces.

The outgoing MPs from the region, especially those who have performed dismally invoke the name of Raila Odinga in all aspects of their public utterances. They are known to be hanging on ‘Agwambo’ coat tails to conceal their failure to deliver the goods to the electorate.

The popular view making the round is that 80 per cent of the current 21Luo MPs will be swept out of parliament come the general election slated for December 2007.

Other reasons which are bent to contribute to the MP’s defects which are inevitable is their poor handling of the devolving CDF money.

A lot of cash has been squandered or invested in phantom projects. In some areas the projects funded with CDF cash remain fictitious and non-existence.

 In one particular area in southern Nyanza a contractor was made to laugh all the way to the bank after pocketing millions of shillings for a road project which he had not set his foot on. But the contractor later used the cash to fly out of the country and settle in the USA with close to 4 million shillings in his pocket allegedly paid to him by a local CDF disbursing committee. He has since settled with his family in the US.

Parliamentary electoral constituencies inside Luo - Nyanza where the CDF projects are known to have been phantom included Nyakach, Muhoroni, Mbita, Kisumu Town East, Uriri, Nyatike, Kasipul - Kabondo, Rongo, Alego - Usonga, Ugenya, Gwassi and Karachuonyo.

Leading in good measure of proper management and disbursement of CDF money are Migori, Rangwe, Ndhiwa, Rarieda, Bondo, Nyando, Kisumu - Rural and Kisumu Town West.

In seven constituencies the disbursement of the devolving fund is visible and could be seen in many new classrooms mushrooming in various primary and secondary schools, newly established dispensaries, newly constructed bridges and road networks.

Hon. Charles Oyugi Owino - Jalikowa (Migori) is heading followed by Eng. Philip Okoth Okundi (Rangwe),Dr.Oburu Odinga (Bondo),Joshua Orwa Ojode (Ndhiwa), Jakoyo Midiwo (Gem), Prof Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o (Kisumu - Rural), Eng. Eric Opondo Nyamunga (Nyando). The above mentioned MPs have done what could be easily termed as proper delivery of goods to the electorate in their respective constituencies. They are therefore expected to have an easy task of defending their seats.

Others will have to deploy extra energies and resources in defending their seats on the account of lackluster performance. Some of them have engaged the electorate in myriad of problems and perhaps spent sizeable amount of money in hiring political goons to intimidate their perceived political enemies instead of channeling the resources in development projects. The worse of all is Nyakach where the CDF money is alleged to have been spent in slaughtering few bulls to widows.

Ends.

leooderaomolo@yhoo.com