Politics is a game of numbers they say, Luhyas have the numbers but the confusion in them has never made sense of their numbers. They actually come third if not second in terms of their size as a community. Their Luo neighbors have over the time benefited from their large numbers in many elections, in fact they majorly vote alongside Luos.
Lack of leadership is one reason, they lack a unifying figure to speak in one voice like other tyrant tribes as Kikuyu, Kalenjin or Luo do. Most of their leaders in Jubilee or ODM renegades flock in DP William Ruto’s Sugoi home for handouts to be swayed on directions to vote. Mp Chris Wamalwa says they go to Sugoi for maize flour, the biggest embarassment a leader can be to his people. Who feeds the subjects when the leaders goes begging?
Their plastic display of unity in ‘Kibra by-election’ is even pathetic, they are supporting an idea they did not craft but is crafted by a witty politician as a bait to bag them. They are all trapped in it in their sizes, desperation just to reap from the media coverage that comes with it.
Ford K leader is actually ‘a finished’ politician fumbling his moves, he cant stand alone and firm even in his home village. ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi is the overal Luhya leader in his mind with a near zero influence. Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya cant call shots beyond his county. Boni Khalwale is a parrot for hire that has served many rgimes in making the noise people may want to hear or not so long as he is in payroll.
For the vote rich basket of western to make sense, their leaders must quit holding hands as a show of unity after being paid by bigger boys to advance personal agenda and become real men who put their people first and offer servant leadership without external hand outs.
The Luhyas have the highest number of voters in Kibra and two of their influential leaders have fielded candidates in the by-election. They are damn to show unity while in a silence competition among themselves, both Musalia and Mudavadi feel they are bigger boys to each other. That is confusion that will reduce their bloc to play the spoiler role and go nowhere.
Voting in Kenya is tribal and kibra may not be any different, but the blunders in Mariga’s candidature expose the lack of preparedness for the community to back their ‘own’. Fielding different candidates and campaigning together is even childish.
Pedestrian approach of elections as a tribe is backward, brilliant politicians form alliances with other communities to broaden their appeal. Forming alliance takes alot, being organised as a community and sometimes with a registred political party makes forming alliances and negotiating for national cake easy.
