COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli has alleged that there is a wider scheme by a senior Rift Valley politician to divide the Luhya vote as the country gears up for the 2017 general elections.
Speaking on Thursday, Atwoli accused the politician who he declined to name of bribing a section of Luhya MPs to boycott a rally scheduled for Saturday that will see the Luhya Community spokesperson unveiled.
"This person should keep off Luhya politics. Why should the politician resort to bribing Luhya MPs not to attend the event?" He posed.
"The community's votes will 'be cast in one basket'. Do these people triumph when we remain divided? This is a journey that I started in 2012 where I hosted Luhya kingpins in Maasai Mara. It cannot and will not be stopped by anyone," he added.
A section of Luhya leaders including Bungoma Senator Moses Wetangula and his Kakamega counterpart Boni Khalwale have criticised Atwoli's move to name the community's kingpin, accusing him of pursuing the plan alone without proper consultations.
Senator Moses Wetangula, former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo and ANC Leader Musalia Mudavadi are widely seen as favourable candidates for the position.