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We don’t fear being labelled jubilee moles - Dr Otuoma

County_Nairobi
 Dr Paul Otuoma is confident he fits the bill to be the next Busia Governor

Funyula MP Dr Paul Otuoma is confident he fits the bill to be the next Busia Governor. He spoke to Grace Wekesa about the intrigues behind the rebellion in Western, why Luhya Nation is restless and rumours that MPs ate 'Ugali' to finish Raila's CORD

Why are you running for governor in Busia?

My governor thinks his job is to only receive and utilise government cash. He is not building the structures that will improve the County. I believe I have what it takes to build the institutions that will make Busia great.

You are a Vet by profession. When is the last time you treated a cow?

I resigned in 2003 from Bear South Africa. I was in charge of East and Central Africa in terms of availing health pharmaceutical services in the region. Currently, I have a business in Kisumu where I offer the same services to farmers. I trained and focused more in the area of business and management after graduating.

The Teso are few. If a Luhya becomes governor won’t they feel marginalised?

We had negotiated democracy during the 2013 polls and elected Ojaamong who is Teso. That sort of thing should not happen in the first place. People in Busia are democratic and in a position to make their own decisions. They will not be dictated to do so.

This western Kenya ODM rebel thing... what is happening?

There is no rebellion in Western. What we have is an awakening, a self-awareness and realisation that we cannot continue to be under-represented in national politics as a region anymore. We know this is right but we have tended to compromise too much. The region has been profiled in a certain manner that you cannot have common aspirations that solve the challenges affecting our people.

When you try to express such aspirations, you are branded a tribalist. Challenges in ODM must be addressed in a political context and not trivialised. People must also be allowed to express themselves. The politics of this county is such that each community has leaders who are respected. That is what we are saying.

There are claims that Luhya politicians ate Jubilee ‘ugali’ to destroy ODM

Kenyans have formed an opinion that the men and women of western cannot claim their rightful stake in national politics unless they are prompted by someone else. This is wrong. Just because you have gone against the grain does not mean you are incapable of thinking on your own. Leaders are nurtured. Most Kenyan leaders have been nurtured by certain political persuasion and the interests of their communities.

Other communities stand behind one leader. But Luhyas are all over the place. Why?

I think it is time for people to embrace an idea whose time has come; an idea that represents their people, and rally behind it. Let nobody cheat you that we cannot work together. Who knows? We of western Kenya may find ourselves in one political entity.

But word doing the rounds is that you ‘rebels’ are Jubilee moles

Western must take its rightful political position without being coerced or persuaded otherwise.

So long as we feel this is right, it does not matter whether we are branded moles or people say we have been bought. That will not distract us. We will stay focused. Apparently, it is politically okay when other communities jump from one party to another but wrong for Western Kenya leaders to question when our political aspirations are not met. When wiper, ODM and Ford Kenya came together, were they bought to form Cord? Those were symbiotic political ambitions based on a common course

ODM supporters are convinced you will be wiped out politically

Decisions have got consequences. And if you are a coward in politics then you are in the wrong place. We took political stands when Kenya was intolerant. Don’t forget when Kalonzo left with ODM-Kenya, he had almost a million votes ODM votes. When Ruto left, people thought Rift Valley couldn’t work with Central Kenya.

When Raila left Kanu, people said Nyanza couldn’t work with Central but when he joined Kibaki, Nyanza voted for him. It depends on leadership. People make a party not individuals. For those who think Funyula residents made a mistake to elect me and you know their aspirations more than their MP, time will tell.

Talk of Luhya unity makes people giggle because they have heard it before

The economic pillars of our region have fallen. We are a sugar belt but the crop has not given us an economic advantage. Look at Pan-Paper. The collapse of our industries is taking away jobs and destroying livelihoods. We, the people of Western Kenya, must come together and solve our problems because we share a common history. We should not sit back as leaders and only emerge during elections to talk about Luhya unity. By not offering direction, we impoverish the region.

There are so many political parties in western. What does that say about you politicians?

These many political parties are a creation of the existing political environment where people come up with the perceived ambitions of the community and try to fit in. If you say it can only be Jirongo, Musalia or Wetang’ula, then you lose the larger picture. If we were to create a political direction that represents our political interests, then we all fit in.

Busia has a big population of Luos. Are they on your side?

Don’t forget we have seven constituencies, only three of which elected MPs on an ODM ticket. Busia is a cosmopolitan area so the issue of profiling communities politically doesn’t arise. Luos have elected MPs on Wiper and Ford Kenya tickets. What makes you think they can only elect ODM in Busia?

What five keys steps would you take if you were agriculture CS?

Increasing the land under cultivation and embracing modern technology would be top on my agenda. I would also deal with post-harvest losses which have been a challenge and invest in research in alternative crops because there are areas where you can’t grow maize. Rain patterns are also changing and farmers need to be educated about that.

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