No end to wrangles in Homa Bay as ODM truce fails to hold

Homa Bay Woman Rep Gladys Wanga and Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma share the stage during the official opening of Homa Bay Airstrip on January 28, 2016. There appears to be no end in sight for the ODM leadership squabbles in Homa Bay despite a truce brokered recently by party leader Raila Odinga. PHOTO | TONNY OMONDI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • A fortnight ago, Mr Odinga asked the two factions of Homa Bay Woman Rep Gladys Wanga and Homa Bay Town MP Peter Opondo Kaluma to work together for the sake of the party.
  • The county witnessed a spate of violence that left some youths injured during ID registration exercises at Olodo, Kabunde and Imbo in Homa bay Town Constituency.
  • The county has over the years been rocked in leadership wrangles and violence.
  • During the recent ODM party elections, both Mrs Wanga and Kaluma who were eying the position of chair held parallel elections.

There appears to be no end in sight for the ODM leadership squabbles in Homa Bay despite a truce brokered recently by party leader Raila Odinga.

A clique of leaders appear to have disregarded Mr Odinga’s intervention and have refused to recognise some of the leaders who were awarded certificates by party National Elections Board.

To make things worse, the opposing factions have been opening parallel party offices in the county.

A fortnight ago, Mr Odinga, while launching the first commercial flights between Nairobi and Homa Bay at Kabunde Airstrip, asked the two factions of Homa Bay Woman Rep Gladys Wanga and Homa Bay Town MP Peter Opondo Kaluma to work together for the sake of the party.

Mr Odinga said that following a meeting held the previous week in Nairobi that was attended by Governor Cyprian Awiti and local MPs, it had been decided that Mrs Wanga becomes county chairperson with Mr Kaluma as the organising secretary.

Others were Deputy Governor Hamilton Orata (vice-chairman), Kasipul MP Joseph Oyugi Magwanga (secretary), Mrs Ruth Ojuka (Women leader) and Kevin Ouma (youth leader).

The ODM leader made it clear that the main activities lie with branch officials while the main function of county officials is only to coordinate party affairs.

However, during the same week, the county witnessed a spate of violence that left some youths injured during ID registration exercises at Olodo, Kabunde and Imbo in Homa bay Town Constituency.

The violence happened during functions presided over by Mrs Wanga and Mr Magwanga.

Residents also criticised leaders for turning the registration exercise into political rallies.

On Thursday, while addressing the public at Ramula Sub-District headquarters where he had joined Mr Awiti on an inspection of the sub-district hospital, Kabondo Kasipul MP Silvance Osele urged the governor to take charge of the registration exercise.

USED FORUM TO ATTACK LEADERS

Mr Osele lamented that his colleagues had turned the exercises that have been going on in the wards into a forum to attack leaders.

“We need to have a serious ID and voter registration geared towards recruiting over 700,000 voters in Homa Bay instead of spending large sums of money traversing the wards hurling insults at fellow leaders and registering only 100 people,” he said.

“As the CEO of the county, I will ensure that we uphold the peace that our party leader asked us to maintain,” Mr Awiti said.

In an interview with the Nation, Mrs Wanga, however, denied abusing her colleagues.

“As far as I am concerned, the exercises have gone very well,” she added.

“I welcome any other leader including our governor to carry out the exercise because our ultimate goal is to increase the number of voters,” she added.

The county has over the years been rocked in leadership wrangles and violence.

During the recent ODM party elections, both Mrs Wanga and Kaluma who were eying the position of chair held parallel elections.