Why ODM and Kajwang' have left the queen naked

In African folklore, what an elder sees while seated, a child can’t see, even from the top of the tallest tree. In politics, however, wisdom isn’t absolute.

Sometimes, what novices see lying down, veterans may miss.

In Homa Bay County, Mr Moses Kajwang somehow proved this when he belatedly waded into the clash of egos between Governor Gladys Wanga and her deputy, Oyugi Magwanga.

The senator said in an open letter posted online last week that he, alongside Baba Raila Odinga, brought the two rivals together on a joint ODM ticket in 2022. It’s therefore understandable that he’s unhappy with Mr Magwanga’s surprise resignation.

The DG called it quits on February 26 after months of friction with his boss. The standoff worsened when he backed independent candidate Phillip Aroko in the Kasipul by-election last November against ODM’s Boyd Were. Mr Magwanga’s office was locked and official vehicles withdrawn.

“As a matchmaker, and on behalf of many who believed in the duo, this divorce is disappointing. If I were a judge, I would’ve granted a decree nisi to allow for reconciliation before decree absolute,” Mr Kajwang wrote, while absolving local politicians from blame, saying the county has had space and peace to work.

Cleverly blending support with caution, the ‘super senator’ then urged Ms Wanga to retrace her steps and address causes of the fallout. Without saying it outright, he warned that choices have consequences, and that 2027 won’t be forgiving. Yet, reading his mind, it’s clear Mr Kajwang’ understood the Wanga-Magwanga problem from the onset but was too timid to intervene.

There are critical questions the good senator isn’t answering by choosing to speak out in a mere letter after the horse has bolted. For such a serious matter, why didn’t he call a press conference or push for an ODM county branch crisis meeting to heal the rifts?  

Here’s my two cents. Having brought Mr Magwanga and the ODM chairperson together in 2022, the onus was on Mr Kajwang’ to reconcile them at whatever cost. Now, like in ‘The emperor’s new clothes,’ the governor is politically naked. The senator and ODM party must take responsibility and reunite Ms Wanga and Mr Magwanga. As residents, we won’t celebrate ‘soap operas’ in our beloved county.   

However, give it to Mr Kajwang’. He has generally worked well with Ms Wanga. In some countries, senators and governors are enemies. Recall 2021 when Migori’s Ochillo Ayacko and Okoth Obado couldn’t share a podium. In Murang’a around 2016, Mwangi wa Iria and Kembi Gitura never quite jelled. And in Kitui, Enoch Wambua often berated Charity Ngilu, branding her ‘a person who personifies failure.’

For the Homa Bay senator, reason works better than grandstanding. He once reminded the ODM brigade to respect Wiper chief Kalonzo Musyoka for supporting Baba for 15 years. The third-term senator isn’t a sycophant or wheeler-dealer like the Judas Iscariot, who sabotaged Baba. Mr Kajwang’ doesn’t heckle for spectacle like the cartoonish woman representative nor does he weaponise social media to demean colleagues as one local MP with a funny surname does.  

That’s not all. We often say the youth are tomorrow’s leaders. But the truth is, the youth are today’s leaders because tomorrow is never guaranteed. This brings yet another important question back to the Homa Bay senator himself as a youthful legislator and a first among equals. Why is he unambitious for higher office, say, governor or presidential running mate?

Who confined him to the Senate? Why not aim for a different political platform where his strategic mind could make an even greater impact on his people? Is it ODM dynamics, calculated patience or cowardice? The Luo say one doesn’t dry off in the same place they bathed.

Finally, Senator Kajwang’ must be reminded that caution alone cannot win the hunt. What makes him think he can’t become kingpin after Mr Odinga?

We need gifted leaders with guts. Since a lot is at stake in 2027, a good place to start is to reconcile Nyar Wang’aya with Tiacha, her erstwhile deputy.