Why Otuoma returned to Orange Party

Continued political hostility in Busia County could be the reason for former ODM vice-chairperson Paul Otuoma’s decision to stick to the party.

The Funyula MP said on Saturday he was still in ODM during the burial of veteran goalkeeper James Siang’a at Sifuyo in Ugenya attended by party leader Raila Odinga.

Mr Otuoma later hosted Mr Odinga at his home in Funyula.

The MP alongside Budalang’i’s Ababu Namwamba and Sirisia’s John Waluke relinquished their posts in July citing frustrations.

Busia Woman Rep Florence Mutua said on Sunday the county is an ODM zone, adding that Mr Otuoma may have been misled to leave the party.

“Knowing the input Hon Otuoma has put in the party, there was no way he could make such an uninformed decision (to quit),” Ms Mutua said.

Kisumu East MP Shakeel Shabbir said Busia, where Mr Ababu and Dr Otuoma hail from, remains an ODM stronghold, which he said could be the major reason for Dr Otuoma’s decision to remain in the party.

“Raila enjoys massive support in the region and any leader who bends towards another direction cannot wither the ODM wave,” he said.

Political analyst and lawyer from Budalang’i, Mr Leonard Okanda, said Mr Otuoma’s return should be a wake-up call for Mr Namwamba, who has since defected to the Labour Party of Kenya.

The MP said Dr Otuoma’s tactical return will help redeem his image after relinquishing his party post.

They were linked to the ‘mulembe consciousness’ movement whose agenda was to ensure unity of the Luhya nation.

“It should, however, be known that the MP had not defected from ODM,” he said.

She went on: “We welcome him back and there’s need to move with more speed to marshal more party support. We need to be a full house and all siblings are welcome back.”

The woman representative noted that party nominations will be free and fair “so members should not panic. It is the voters who will decide. Defeat should be accepted honourably.”

RESUMING WORK
In 2007, former vice President Moody Awori, of retired President Mwai Kibaki’s Party of National Unity (PNU), was trounced by Mr Otuoma (ODM), who was making his first stab at the parliamentary seat.

Despite being the Country’s second in command, political pundits argued that Mr Awori could not win the seat in the dominant ODM zone.

LPK owner Julia Ojiambo - who also ran against Mr Otuoma - came a distant third despite being the then ODM-Kenya party leader Kalonzo Musyoka’s presidential running mate the same year.

In the 2013 elections, Mr Odinga beat other presidential candidates by garnering 189,161 votes against UDF leader Musalia Mudavadi’s 18,608 and President Uhuru Kenyatta’s 8,186 in Busia County.

In Funyula constituency, Mr Odinga got 24,018 while Mr Mudavadi received 2,832 and Mr Kenyatta 948 votes.

Receiving Mr Otuoma to ODM on Saturday, Mr Odinga said Mr Otuoma was welcome to the party as “he just taken a short leave to rest after hard work”.

He said Mr Otuoma will resume his duties as ODM vice chairman.

Mr Waluke told Nation he is confident of clinching his Sirisia seat in next year’s polls on the Jubilee ticket.

On Sunday, Mr Namwamba refused to respond to his re-election threat following his defection to LPK.

Initially, he cautioned ODM leaders against pushing him to leave ODM noting that he owned shares in the party.

But in a rejoinder Gem MP Jakoyo Midiwo said he had sold his shares to Jubilee.