Political leaders from the Gusii community residing in Nairobi have castigated a splinter group that is operating outside the Omogusii Nairobi County Forum.
The Gusii Community leaders led by Omogusii Nairobi County Forum Chairman, Joseph Nyandika, nominated Senator Beatrice Kwamboka and ODM Director of Legal Affairs Tony Moturi on Tuesday held a meeting at the Bomb Blast Memorial Park in Nairobi.
The leaders who spoke after the meeting said they had resolved to initiate unity of the community in Nairobi.
The leaders also told off a section of leaders from the community whom they accused of dividing the community in Nairobi.
In a speech read by Senator Kwamboka, the leaders said the Gusii community in Nairobi will soon appoint a political spokesperson in the Capital City.
“Our community is organized through a County chairperson and that leadership cascades down to the 17 constituencies and all the wards. The perennial political brokers, cannot destabilize the hard-fought unity of Omogusii in Nairobi,” added Kwamboka.
Former PDP party leader Stephen Nyarangi has been drumming up support for a section of politicians as the community's leadership in Nairobi.
The Nyarangi faction coalesces around Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka and Nairobi City County Government Health Chief Officer Geoffrey Mosiria.
But Nyandika said the community is yet to appoint its leadership in Nairobi and that those claiming the positions are imposters.
“We are deeply saddened that the unity and agenda of the Omogusii in Nairobi has been hijacked by political brokers, conmen and masqueraders who are self-driven and mortgaging the noble agenda that characterizes our community in Nairobi. The political cabal has even purported to create and own the community’s Spokesperson in Nairobi,” said Nyandika.
The leaders also accused Mosiria of illegally installing himself as the Omogusii Spokesman in Nairobi.
Kwamboka further appealed to Onyonka to stop involving himself with the politics of the community in Nairobi.
“We remind Senator Onyonka to oversight Kisii County, which has bigger problems than Nairobi where he is not the Senator. He should address those issues in Kisii before purporting to unite Omogusii in Nairobi,” said Kwamboka.
Nyandika on his part challenged Senator Onyonka and Mosiria to concentrate on their roles and stop interfering with the mandate of the Omogusii Nairobi County Forum.
“Nairobi City County has had Abagusii senior public servants before Mosiaria. We have advocate Evans Ondieki and the late Eng. Peter Kimori before him. They never had the misplaced zeal that Mosiria evokes,” Nyandika added.
The Gusii Community caucus has now announced the planned recruitment of the community’s members in Nairobi starting with Embakasi South Constituency.
“We would like also let our people know that Omogusii has always benefited solely under the leadership of Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga and the ODM party. We call upon our people to remain focused and wait for the ongoing membership recruitment drive in Nairobi,” stated Moturi.
But in a quick rejoinder, Mosiria said there should not be a fight for the community's leadership in Nairobi as he was installed as the Omogusii spokesperson in broad daylight.
"Leaders emerge, they are not imposed or appointed. The Omogusii community in Nairobi is united and will reject any attempts to divide its people," he said.
Mosiria has been holding meetings with the community's key leaders in Nairobi and even those in the National Government as part of his efforts to unite the Omogusii Community.
Senator Onyonka rubbished claims by the faction saying he is focused on his oversight role as Kisii senator.