The stage for next years General Elections is taking form. The country's elections body IEBC has set out training and consequent registration of voters.
In Migori county, interested parties are mapping out strategies. Sad to note however, is the tribal dimension and perspective in the build up. The county is largely home to three tribes. The dominant Luo (Abasuba), cross-border Kuria and the Luhya Maragoli.
A recent visit of Kenya's Prime Minister to Kuria has unmasked rather unpalatable reactions. In the visit, it emerges the Kuria politicians presented him with a memorandum to steer the county's campaigning and selection of representatives. It is understood the memorandum is designed to allocate seats tribally. The Luo will go for Governor seat while the senate seat will be contested by the Kuria side. So will be youth and women seats. now this didn't go down with the Maragoli people. Neither do the Luo/Suba accept it wholly.
In a televised debate in a local TV channel, participants strongly refuted the understanding, saying it was doctored by individuals with interests to certain seats, hence seeking easy options. They called for any interested parties to vie for the seats without prejudice.
Participants in the debate held at Sony Sugar Complex, touched on various development and leadership strategies by the governor aspirants. Also discussed was the contribution of the societies cultural practices, more-so FGM, in the poor performance and living of the locals. Sugar politics did not stay away either. It emerged the county has four sugar millers in place, a fifth being proposed. But the bad in the sugar politics came when it was claimed one of the governor aspirants has had a hand in cane diverting to other millers, some outside the county. He cited a 'willing buyer, willing seller, highest bidder' policy, to get the farmers good bargain for their produce, a policy that was rejected by Sony sugar administration.
The tobacco industry too was on table. And if facial expressions are anything to go by, the participants were more than relieved and happy in an aspirants bid to set up a tobacco processing unit in the region instead of transporting the crop miles away to other regions, losing on "value addition."
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