By John Simiyu.
Non Luhyia communities living in the former Western Kenya province will form a new alliance and front their own candidates in 2027.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday May 29 at a Bungoma hotel,former Sirisia KANU parliamentary aspirant Shabaan Kilui said minority communities who include Tesos,Sabaoti,Ndorobo,Turkana,Masai and others living in western Kenya will not join the Luhyia unity talks which are discriminatory against minority communities from time immemorial.
He said that if there will be no negotiations on the sharing of civic,parliamentary, Senatorial, women MP and gubernatorial positions in Western Kenya that reflect proper representation for the minorities then they will form a different alliance and fight for their political recognition in western Kenya.
A section of leaders led by Trans Nzoia governor George Natembeya have been advocating for forming of a political movement that will fight for fare allocation of resources and jobs to the Luhyia community.
Natembeya has been calling on the electorate to reject the leadership of Speaker Moses Wetang’ula and Prime Cabinet Secretary and CS for Foreign Affairs Musalia Mudavadi as the representatives of the community at the national level.
The TransNzoia governor claims that the duo have failed to demand for devolution of resources and job opportunities fairly to the Luhyia community.
Natembeya has formed the ‘Tawe’ movement that catalyzes the Luhyia community to reject Luhyia leaders who have failed to negotiate with the government to reduce poverty levels,unemployment and fight for devolution of government resources amongst the Luhyia.
Kilui said the architects of the Luhyia alliance have all along isolated the leadership of the Teso,Sabaoti,Luo,Kikuyu,Ndorobo,Turkana,Masai and other communities .
He said that job allocations and positions at the county level and the national government have been reserved for the Luhyia community only while the minorities have been thrown at the periphery.
“We will not vote for people who belittle us .We will form an alliance and field our own candidates as minority tribes as the Luhyia field their own candidates,” said Kilui.
The former Kabkara and Lwandanyi secondary school teacher downplayed the position of Deputy governor Jeniffer Mbatiany as ‘ junior and inconsequential’ arguing that minority tribes need more positions and job opportunities in western Kenya.
The director for the Center for Human Rights Watch Phillip Wanyonyi Wekesa also said that the Luhyia community initiative is outdated adding that political alliances that will champion the interests of all communities living in Western Kenya will see the light of the day.
Wanyonyi claimed that a more inclusive political alliance such as the western region political alliance may champion the interests of the community properly compared to any other alliance that supports the interests of a single community.
“Western Kenya is composed of many other tribes apart from the majority Luhyia community. Any alliance that discriminates the minorities will not be representative of the aspirations of Western Kenya,” he added.
Apart from the Luhyia alliance ,Sirisia MP John Waluke is the patron of another alliance referred to as the Western MPs caucus that is championing for the unity of Western Kenya communities ahead of the 2027 general election.
The caucus is supported by National Assembly Speaker Dr.Moses Wetang’ula and Prime Cabinet Secretary and CS for Foreign Affairs Musalia Mudavadi.
The caucus is made up of governors,senators,MPs,MCAs,professionals and opinion leaders hailing from western Kenya.
