- The opposition party recently expelled some of the legislators from Luo who were viewed as renegades within its file.
- Among those who were expelled from the party included Langata MP Felix Odiwuor aka Jalang'o, Gideon Ochanda( Bondo), Elisha Odhiambo ( Gem) and Kisumu senator Prof Tom Ojienda.
Image: COURTESY
Interior PS Dr Raymond Omollo on Sunday hit out at the opposition leader Raila Odinga for what he described as a double standard in dealing with perceived rebels in the ODM party.
Speaking in Uriri Constituency, the PS noted that it was a worrying concern that ODM leaders working with the government in Luo Nyanza are the only ones punished by Raila's party while those from other regions are spared.
The opposition party recently expelled some of the legislators from Luo who were viewed as renegades within its file.
Among those who were expelled from the party included Langata MP Felix Odiwuor aka Jalang'o, Caroli Omondi (Suba South) Gideon Ochanda( Bondo), Elisha Odhiambo ( Gem) and Kisumu senator Prof Tom Ojienda.
Some of the nominated MCAs from Kisumu, Homa and Migori were also affected.
Omollo claimed that Raila met President William Ruto at one point, early this year in Mombasa at night.
"Although I'm a civil servant, who is barred from making political statements, I'm concerned as a son of Nyanza about the politics of our region," he said.
He said alot is happening at the moment in the political space in the Nyanza region.
"We have to ask ourselves tough questions regarding what's going on in the region. Why is it that only ODM elected leaders from the region are punished for associating with President Ruto or senior officers in his government while those who do so from other regions are spared by the ODM party leader?" he quipped.
As a PS, he said he is a government official who is mandated to serve every Kenyan and it is a worrying concern that even MCAs from the opposition party are banned from meeting him for whatever reason.
"Those who met me from Kisumu, Homa Bay and Migori were reprimanded. The truth is, the leadership of the party has no respect for the people of Luo Nyanza," he said.
"We have supported them for far too long that they now disrespect us as a people," he said.
The PS claimed that the ODM leadership under the former prime minister had taken the support and loyalty of the Luo nation for granted.
"We have become their slaves for the longest time. We have elevated some of us to a level they now look down upon us," he said.
"We have agreed to be their slaves to a point where they nolonger believe we are worth anything of value. It is time we told ourselves the truth if we want any meaningful change and development as a community," Omollo noted.
He appealed to the people of Luo Nyanza to open their ears and listen to what others opposed to ODM politics are telling them.
He observed that Uriri MP Mark Nyamita and the other leaders considered rebels in ODM visited the president just the same way the Homa Bay governor Gladys Wanga and Ochilo Ayako (Migori) met the president in Kisumu when Ruto toured the region.
"In fact, Kisumu governor Prof Anyan'g Nyong'o spent three days with the president at Kisumu State Lodge. Even the Siaya governor James Orengo met the president when he toured Siaya that time," he said.
The truth is the party leader Raila Odinga himself has met the president at night in Mombasa," he added.
The soft-spoken PS noted that it is time Nyanza people were told the truth.
"We must be truthful if we expect our region to make economic strides. Why do leaders fight to form a government? It is because of the urge to bring development to people and that's exactly what the ODM leaders working with the government are trying to do," Omollo noted.
" Today, Nyamita has brought the speaker Moses Wetangula here. He is a member or the government, just like we also have the CS for health who serves in government. You can't be happy to take the money they donate in support of development programmes but hate the government they serve in," he said.
According to the PS, Wetangula, together with the rest of the leaders made sure that the Kenya Kwanza government was in place.
"It can't be that you enjoy the milk but you hate the cow that gives you the milk," he asserted.
He urged the region to embrace government programmes and give them the attention the programmes deserve so that the region benefits like any other part of the country.
He reiterated that the Kenya Kwanza government is keen to serve all Kenyans regardless of how they voted.
"If anyone tells you that you should not participate in government programmes, tell them that's not how to build a cohesive country," he added.
The PS said the government is rolling programmes for the elderly and those living with disabilities, health programmes and other development initiatives that will benefit every part of the country.
Omollo joined the Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula, Health CS Susan Nakhumicha, MPs Caroli Omondi (Suba South), David Ochieng (Ugenya) and the host, Mark Nyamita (Uriri), in a fundraiser at St. Mary's Uriri Catholic Parish, Uriri Constituency, Migori County.
The donations were towards the completion of the church's construction project.