Machage opens up on why he ditched ODM and Senate seat

Migori Senator Wilfred Gisuka Machage has defended his choice to decamp from Orange Democratic Party (ODM) and to run for Kuria West parliamentary seat.

The senator has maintained that he does not regret switching from the senatorial position to run for the Kuria West parliamentary seat

“I believe I will serve my people better as an MP and they supported my idea,” he told Saturday Nation on Friday.

FALL OUT
He is running for the seat on his former party, the Democratic Party of Kenya (DP) ticket, after dumping ODM in March.

Many viewed this move as driven by fear he could lose the senatorial position after falling out with the ODM - the region’s favourite party.

In the run up to 2013 election, Dr Machage was a beneficiary of the pre-poll agreement between the Kuria and the Luo - the county’s two dominant communities on the sharing of posts in the county.

NEGOTIATED DEMOCRACY
In the agreement, which was brokered by ODM party leader and National Super Alliance presidential candidate Raila Odinga, the minority Kuria community was to get the senator and the woman representative positions as the majority Luo get the gubernatorial position.

Dr Machage decamped from Democratic Party to ODM and got elected as the senator while Ms Dennitah Ghati became the woman representative.

READ: Why the Kuria are pushing for negotiated democracy

MISTRUST

However, it emerged that the Kuria did not vote overwhelmingly for Mr Odinga as had been agreed.

Instead President Uhuru Kenyatta got over half of the votes in the region.

Owing to this, mistrust between the two communities emerged with the Luo vowing not to enter into any other round of negotiated democracy.

REJECTED
Political observers say that it is this mistrust, coupled with perceived lack of commitment to the ODM that saw Dr Machage decamp from the party and decided to run for MP seat in his Kuria backyard.

However, Dr Machage argues that the Orange party short-changed him when he sought support for his bid to be Senate deputy speaker but was outrightly turned down by Mr Odinga.

“My fall-out with Raila Odinga begun immediately after election. I sought the support of the party for the deputy speaker’s position in the Senate but Raila called me and told me that I am a new member of the party therefore I could not expect to be supported for such a post.

"I was seen as a second-class member of the party. That was the last straw that broke the camel’s back,” he said.

JUBILEE
The senator now declares he supports President Uhuru Kenyatta’s re-election.

“Let it be on record that I support President Uhuru Kenyatta because it is in his government that the Kuria people can benefit,” he said.

He however hastened to add that the only thing he supports Mr Odinga on was his quest for a parliamentary system of government, which would take care of the interest of the minority tribes like Kuria.

MATHIAS ROBI
The eloquent senator exudes confidence that he would trounce incumbent MP Mathias Robi of Jubilee Party.

It is however apparent that Dr Machage faces a herculean task against Mr Robi, who enjoys closeness with the Deputy President William Ruto and is also popular on the ground courtesy of a number of projects that he has initiated in the last four years.

CANDIDATES
Mr Robi dismissed Dr Machage’s candidature, taking a swipe at him for switching from the senatorial position to that of an MP.

“It is quite unfortunate that Dr Machage wants to come back again for a post he left in 2013. He has been in Kuria leadership for over 15 years.

"What will he do that he has not done all these years?” Mr Robi posed.

Other candidates for the seat are Jane Moronge (ANC), Mr Kiriga Maroa (independent) and Mr Mogendi Saiya (independent).