There are 251,305 registered voters in Busia County. Here is a breakdown of registered voters per constituency;
Teso North - 37,213
Teso South - 41,835
Nambale - 30,881
Matayos - 41,222
Butula - 40,803
Funyula - 31,996
Budalangi - 27,355
What is going on in Busia? A strong anti-Teso feeling fueled by the perceived incompetence of the current governor is the crux of the matter. Otuoma and Ababu are simply smart politicians, the numbers above are clearly in favor of a Luhya candidate as governor for Busia.
Ojaamong the current Busia governor who is a Teso, a staunch supporter of Raila is assumed to have the ODM nomination certificate safely tucked away. He is the reason why Otuoma supported Ababu, who is banking on a strong Luhya showing in 2017 to enhance his national prospects.
It is also important to note that Vincent Sidai Esyepet who was novice in 2013 received 34% of the votes cast running as the governor despite a strong showing by ODM. You also realize two constituencies, Teso South and North are represented by URP.
It has been alleged by ODM sycophants that Ababu Namwamba can’t survive without the Luo vote in Budalangi, facts are stubborn, see how Budalangi elected its MCA's;
Bunyala Central - Vincent Mwolo (FORD-Kenya)
Bunyala North - Fred Musirimba (FORD-Kenya)
Bunyala West - Christopher Nakitari Khabwera (ODM)
Bunyala South - Stephen Omenda Mukanga (ODM)
If the Luo were an important voting component in the constituency as alleged, they would have an MCA of their own. Before Ababu, KANU & FORD-K produced the previous MPs for Budalangi, it is Ababu who brought Raila to Budalangi.
Finally, in 2013 Raila Odinga received 86% of the presidential vote cast in Busia, question is; will a Luhya renaissance and an eventual fallout in ODM affect Raila’s numbers?