Elders in Ndhiwa Sub County, Homa-Bay County have cautioned that the broad based government team will not perform well in Nyanza region during next year’s elections if party zoning of electoral areas is allowed.
Through their umbrella body dubbed Ndhiwa Elders on Socio-economic Development, the elders warned that zoning will reduce the votes for the presidential candidate.
This follows recent calls by a group of ODM leaders, led by Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma demanding that zoning is an irreducible minimum in their pre-election coalition agreement with UDA party.
ODM party National Chairperson Gladys Wanga also wants ODM strongholds protected to enable the party to get more seats in the polls.
In a press statement read by the elders’ Secretary Alfred Ogao during their meeting in Ndhiwa Town, the elders argued that zoning will reduce President William Ruto’s chances of garnering many votes in Nyanza region.
Ogao claimed zoning will give ODM leaders a leeway for rewarding their cronies with nomination certificates.
“After consulting the people, we are objecting zoning. Zoning will lead to abrogation of the democratic principles because ODM leaders will take advantage of it to reward their loyalists with nomination certificates,” Ogao said.
Elder Lawrence Airo said that the broad based government will not perform well in the region if zoning is allowed, arguing that zoning will cause voter apathy. This will disadvantage Ruto in his presidential bid.
“ODM leaders will use zoning to scuttle democracy by rewarding their cronies with nomination certificates, but this will cause low voter turnout. It means Ruto will lose many votes in this region,” Airo explained.
Elder Otieno Ogingo who is a former MP for Ndhiwa challenged the ODM leaders to leverage on the popularity of their party to secure elective seats without rooting for zoning.
“They say ODM is the largest party from the South of the Sahara desert to North of River Limpopo. Why do they want zoning, yet the party is already popular?, posed Ogingo.
He urged ODM leaders to put their house in order for unity to prevail in the party, noting the emergence of two factions in ODM is unfit for the future survival of the party.
“We hear of Linda Ground and Linda Mwananchi in ODM. How are they going to negotiate with Ruto if they area already divided? Let them put their house in order,” Otieno said.
The elders also warned elected leaders from the Luo community against fighting their brothers appointed to senior positions in government.
They criticized some leaders from the region who want Interior Principal Secretary Dr. Raymond Omollo and the Chief of Staff in ODM leader Dr. Oburu Oginga’s office, Michael Agwanda sacked from their positions.
Ndhiwa Elders on Socio-economic Development Chairman Michael Nyomino said the politicians should stop the unnecessary wrangles.
“We don’t want political leaders who are selfish and jealous of their brothers who have appointive jobs. Let them stop the unnecessary wrangles,” Nyomino said.
By Davis Langat
