Following the exit of Ababu Namwamba as the Orange Democratic Movement party secretary general, Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi has discredited the ODM leader Raila Odinga for what he termed mistreatment of members of the Luhya community in the party.
In a statement sent to the press, Mudavadi welcomed Ababu’s exit from the party and blasted the ODM leadership, saying that ODM has failed to keep the promises it made to the people of Western Kenya, and wants Ababu to join him to lay plans ahead of the forthcoming polls.
He also claimed that the Jubilee government is responsible for Western Kenya’s economic woes affirming that it has sidelined the Luhya community in terms of development.
The statement reads:
“The continued acrimonious exit from ODM by key leaders from Luhyaland is yet another confirmation that ODM has miserably failed to represent the hopes, interests and aspirations of Luhya community and that it is a party that specializes in political posturing and gerrymandering with no clear and long-term tangible agenda.
Ababu and the other leaders who have been frustrated and marginalized in ODM are unconditionally welcomed to ANC if they are uncomfortable in ODM because it is their natural home.
This has come at a time when Luhya community is reflecting and soul searching following a series of recent political events namely, aftermath of 2013 elections that for the first time since independence consigned the region to political wilderness, the resignation of senior leaders such as Fred Gumo and Kennath Marende from ODM, marginalization by the non-inclusive Jubilee government, collapsing regional economy and sugar industry and lately the rude and shocking revelation by Cord Senators: Johnston Muthama and James Orengo, that Ford Kenya headed by Moses Wetangula was not part of the Cord MOU for Presidency.
The truth is that ODM has failed as a trusted and genuine champion of the interests and aspirations of the Luhya people. In fact they cannot account for the massive votes they got from the Luhyas across the country. Jubilee has perfected the two community hegemony and discrimination and cannot be trusted by Luhyas.
Jubilee and Cord are ideologically the same in the eyes of the Luhya people. It does not matter what the leadership of the two coalitions does between now and 2017; the writing is on the wall.
Political parties and presidential aspirants should not only engage Luhyas for votes but react negatively if challenged for genuine partnership, mutual respect and equal competition.
We want to give meaning to the constitutional provision for democracy, political Justice, regional and ethnic diversity plus accountable leadership. We want to anchor issue based politics as opposed to ethnic engineering that powers our competitors.”