The Omogusii Community revolt on a national scale is nothing new.
However, the possible exit of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga from the country’s political scene and ex-Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i’s likely presidential bid has fuelled a fresh rebellion.
Former Cabinet Minister Simeon Nyachae, who passed away in 2021, had in 2002 engineered one of the most consequential rebellions by the community ever.
Nyachae, a no-nonsense politician, nursed big ambitions as the ades-long legendry enmity.
The events that unfolded on September 22, 2002, at Nairobi’s Serena Hotel and later a mega Uhuru Park rally, jolted his bid to become the joint opposition presidential flagbearer in that year’s polls.
Raila’s ‘Kibaki Tosha’ declaration that sent the crowds at Nairobi’s Uhuru Park into frenzy, handed Mzee Nyachae a devastating blow.
Ironically, Nyachae had signed a pact with Raila’s Liberal Democratic Party and, according to the secret deal, Raila would support Nyachae’s presidential bid in 2002.
The opposition bigwigs including George Saitoti, Kalonzo Musyoka, William Ole Ntimama, Moody Awori and David Musila were then required to pick the joint opposition candidate by secret ballot.
In his Seasons of Hope, former Cabinet Minister David Musila recorded that Raila’s declaration shocked opposition bigwigs who had not agreed on their joint presidential candidate in their Serena Hotel meeting hours earlier.
“I have never known what prompted Raila to say Kibaki Tosha. His announcement, however, did not go down well with the other presidential contenders. Nyachae, for instance, was very angry. He felt that he had been duped into signing an agreement the previous morning when in fact a presidential candidate had already been decided upon,’’ Musila writes.
Just before the 2002 election, Nyachae had quit the ruling party Kanu in a huff and after forming his Ford People party, followed Raila who had led a mass walkout of influential politicians after President Daniel Arap Moi settled on Uhuru Kenyatta as his preferred successor.
Nyachae would later bolt out of the coalition and launch his presidential campaigns as Raila and key opposition figures rallied behind Kibaki under the Narc coalition.
Nyachae’s political enmity with Raila would become legendary in what became nasty political fallout between the Omogusii and the Luo community as Ford people consolidated Kisii and Nyamira counties.
Nyachae would later use his numbers in Parliament to negotiate for a share of government after Kibaki fell out with Narc luminaries including Raila over alleged reneging on the power-sharing agreement.
In another political development that evokes the 2002 memories, political leaders from the Omogusii community have launched an aggressive campaign that could jolt big players ahead of the 2027 polls.
There is a growing revolt against Raila’s ODM, with key party politicians from the region claiming Raila has sidelined and excluded the community from a share of government.
They have argued that Raila ignored the community when the ODM party was given some Cabinet slots and instead shared them with his Luo community.
Under the broad-based government, out of the five CS slots given to ODM, Luo Nyanza benefitted from two positions.
President William Ruto also named Dorcus Oduor from Luo Nyanza as the Attorney General.
Other positions are John Mbadi (National Treasury) and Opiyo Wandayi (Energy).
President Ruto also named Eliud Owalo as the Deputy Head of Public Service, a position he said was a Cabinet-level appointment.
Nyaribari Masaba MP Daniel Manduku said that the Gusii leaders will soon lead a mass walkout from the ODM party over what he alleged are exclusion and marginalisation.
Manduku also alleged that leaders from the Gusii region have initiated talks to map the community’s next steps as they contemplate charting the community’s political path.
“We are coalescing as the Gusiii nation with the ultimate focus on having a mass walkout from ODM if things don’t change,’’ he said.
“As ODM we have no CS position, Kisii has no single PS (Principal Secretary) to date, it has no single state corporation CEO that is beneficial to us.’’
Education CS Julius Ogamba is allied to the Kenya Kwanza government having vied for the position of deputy governor for Kisii in the UDA party ticket in 2022.
There are signals that leaders from the region are building a case before making the ultimate decision to walk out of ODM once they settle on their regional political party.
Amid the growing discontent, key leaders from the region are planning to propel Matiang’i for the presidency, promising a titanic battle against the big boys.
Matiang’i served as CS in then President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee government for 10 years.
While there are cracks over the plan to have the community rally behind Matiang’i, analysts argue that such a presidential would galvanise the Omogusii community like Nyachae’s 2002 failed bid.
Kisii Governor Simba Arati, who is an ODM deputy party leader, called for the Gusii region to be respected and to get its fair share of government opportunities.
“If we must be in government, then we must feel that we are being taken care of, let people not scare us that they have the numbers,’’ Arati said.
“We have the numbers and we are going to ask our people and going forward our vote must count. When a small opportunity arises, we see it going to one region and even here in Nyanza, an opportunity comes and we are told it is for the four counties.’’
Arati said that the Omogusii community is scouting for its national leader and unifying figure.
“There comes a time when we miss the times of Mzee Nyachae and I think we are going back there and there is nobody who will play with us.”
ODM party, which has enjoyed massive support in the region since Nyachae’s exit as Nyaribari Chache MP in 2007, is under immense pressure amid a looming divorce.
The divorce took a nasty twist recently when ODM national treasurer Timothy Bosire rejected his nomination as the non-executive chairperson of the National Transport and Safety Authority.
The refusal exposed the disquiet in ODM leadership from the Gusii region, with leaders arguing that the NTSA appointment was a mockery.
Kitutu Chache South MP Anthony Kibagendi also decried discrimination and unfulfilled promises, hinting at the community charting its path ahead of 2027.
Kibagendi, a member of ODM, alleged that leaders from the Gusii region were being treated as ‘second-class members’.
“We have genuinely been very patient and respectful, despite extended periods of discrimination.”
Furthermore, he stressed that no legislator from Gusii serves as a chairperson or vice-chairperson in any committee in either the National Assembly or the Senate.
“Members of the public and our supporters should know the extent of this disparity. Despite our unwavering loyalty to the party, we have been relegated to minor roles while others enjoy undue privileges,” Kibagendi added.
Explaining the alleged discrimination, hepointed out that in the 13th Parliament, only three MPs from the Kisii region served on single committees.
Kibagendi said Raila had promised that Bosire would get a CS position under the broad-based government to appreciate the community’s support.
There are signals that the region would rally together despite a push by politicians allied to President Ruto to downplay Matiang’i’s bid for president.
National Assembly Majority Whip Sylvanus Osoro claimed that Matiang’i may not vie for the presidency because he lacks funds.
“Matiang’i is not going to vie for the presidency. The presidency does not need someone who is mean and has no money to support his people,’’ Osoro said.
Osoro is a member of UDA party. However, there are signals that a Matiang’i presidential bid would galvanise the region.
Arati fired the clearest warning shot to ODM, where he serves as the deputy party leader, saying the Omogusii can no longer be taken for granted.
“Let me ask, I overheard a certain MP from amongst us saying that we have not come of age to gun for the presidency. That is very unfortunate,” he said.
“Now that we are set and determined to fight all the way up for the seat, I urge our youth to apply for Identification Cards in readiness for voting one of our own to Statehouse in 2027. We must seek the highest seat in the land if we are to convince the country that we matter too,” he added.
The governor said that with the election of Huldah Momanyi, a Kisii, to the US House of Representatives, the community has shown that it has people who can be trusted with the country’s top leadership.
“If our sons and daughters are being elected out there what else should hold us back? Matiang’i has done it before and will shine the more as president,” he added.
Matiang’i, who jetted to the US last week after a three-month sabbatical, held a meeting with nine MPs from the Kisii region two weeks ago where he revealed his plans for the country’s top seat.
During the meeting, Kisii politicians promised to galavanise the region for former CS and identify a political vehicle for the community.
There are reports that Uhuru prefers a Matiang’i candidature and could throw his weight behind him when the time comes.
Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka, who was elected on Raila’s ODM ticket, said Matiang’i will be on the ballot in 2027.
He said the Omogusii community would rally behind one of their own, threatening to hurt ODM and UDA fortunes in the region.
Onyonka said the Omogusii community had donated Matiang’i as a gift to salvage the country from its economic ruins.
“He has already announced himself and wants to be president,” Onyonka said.
Given that there are some existing parties with roots in the region, they could form an alliance and then back Matiang’i’s bid.
The Kenya National Congress Party, Kenya Social Congress, PDP, PPK and UPA are some of the registered parties with leaders from the Gusii region.
Omogusii has nearly two million votes in Nyamira, Kisii and the diaspora, a huge number that leaders say cannot be ignored in national politics.
