I’m aboard a PSV matatu plying Ngong–Nairobi, less than 30 kilometers apart, but the cacophony inside the ‘nganya,’ as my Nairobi peers call it, is overwhelming. Let me alight at Kerarapon to wrap up this write-up, it’s urgent.
December is synonymous with festivities, but my good friend Dancun Onyango contends that for the Luo community, it’s merely the crescendo of months of ceaseless parties, grounded in the often-misunderstood mantra that “Luo is a lifestyle.”
Allow me to bring you up to speed. On December 6th, Migori County hosted the Sigand Nyi Nam barely a week after Governor Wanga orchestrated an ODM brigade rally in Homa Bay, an event publicized with the fervor of a last-ditch re-election campaign.
Pause for a moment to understand the Sigand Nyi Nam in the context of Luo Nyanza. Dr. Agnes Salome, Director at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology, credits herself as the brainchild of the initiative, mentored by Dr. Ida Odinga and later the idea implemented by Governor Gladys Wanga. To do justice to my former literature teacher, Mr. Awandu, I must tread carefully. By Dr. Agnes’ own admission, this initiative owes its lifeblood to our ‘good governor,’ who seems to be Kenya’s busiest governor.
However, no one bothers to disclose how many underprivileged Luo women have benefited from this “game-changing” idea. Millions were poured into ensuring the event’s success, complete with lavish receptions for the high and mighty. With no visible sponsor, the extravaganza went off without a hitch.
Senior Counsel James Orengo is leading this from the front unapologetically. And why should he be sorry? The governor, who spends more time in Nairobi than in Siaya, has meticulously planned an exclusive party. Before the main event, Orengo will host ohangla maestro Prince Indah at his Masiro home in a private, invite-only soirée. The maestro has been handsomely paid.
From Masiro, Orengo will shift gears to host President Ruto, Raila Odinga, and fellow Luo Nyanza governors in Migwena, Bondo Constituency, for the Piny Luo Festival. The branding sounds noble – celebrating Luo heroes and heroines but the reality is a medley of dance, political theatrics, and merry-making. Attendees will fly out in choppers and cruise in high-end cars, leaving behind a quieter, more desperate populace.
On January 2nd, Orengo will preside over a much-touted football match between Gor Mahia and Kitara FC from Uganda, ostensibly to officially open the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Stadium in Siaya. The facility has been branded as “state-of-the-art.” Hold your laughter.
Initially, Yanga FC from Tanzania was expected to grace the occasion, with a rumored budget of over Ksh. 6 million to facilitate their appearance. With Yanga’s withdrawal, the expenditure for Gor Mahia and Tigiri FC is expected to remain exorbitant. Once the festivities conclude, Gor Mahia will head back to Nairobi, Kitara to Uganda, and struggling local teams like Karapul Villa FC and Kobare FC will return to their cash-strapped realities.
Karapul Villa FC, for instance, is grappling with severe financial constraints, awarding walkovers due to a lack of Ksh. 5,000 for player facilitation. Yet the Siaya County government remains focused on grand national and regional spectacles.
The three first-term governors of Siaya, Homa Bay and Migori are behaving as though this is devolution’s last hurrah.
These opulent parties attended by the crème de la crème are bleeding taxpayers dry. Meanwhile, come January, students will be sent home for unpaid school fees. Perhaps Governors Ochilo, Wanga and Orengo have checks ready for deposit.
Oversight? Forget it. Kajwang’, Eddy, and Oburu are at the helm. Oburu seems oblivious to any financial impropriety in Siaya, and the MCAs are equally disengaged.
As millions are funneled into parties, patients languish in county referral hospitals and dispensaries, grappling with drug shortages, inadequate personnel, and unhygienic conditions. Some die from treatable complications because ambulances are either unavailable or nonexistent.
Their focus is to secure another term in office and come 2027, wananchi will chant the “six-piece” mantra, re-electing their captors for five more years of misery.
Has the voting bloc in Luo Nyanza suffered enough to break free from this vicious cycle? Not yet – but someday, they will.
