The planned Luhya meeting slated for January 18 at Bukhungu Stadium is now hanging in the balance after top political leaders from the region distanced themselves from it.
The meeting which is widely expected to be the turning point in "Mulembe Nation" politics ahead of the 2022 general election, will be hosted by Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya and Central Organization of Trade Unions Secretary-General Francis Atwoli.
However, while dismissing the meeting, Bungoma Senator and Ford Kenya party leader Moses Wetangula said that such a gathering is likely to divide the community even further.
"He is trying to reinvent the people who are past their date of sale. I have reached out at Mudavadi and we have decided to consolidate the community and, by extension, Western. We have nothing to do with Atwoli's gimmicks and antics," Wetangula said.
The plans for the meeting were reported discussed on December 26 when Atwoli hosted ODM party leader Raila Odinga at his Kakamega home.
This is not the first time such a meeting has been held in the region. On December 31 2016, Atwoli led the community in another meeting at Bukhungu Stadium that saw Amani National Congress leader Musalia Mudavadi crowned the Luhya kingpin.