Sifuna exit from ODM shatters Luo-Luhya ties

Luos and Luhyas call each other Mashemeji - in-laws. They intermarry, share cultural lineages, and trace political kinship to the precolonial era, with elders linking Raila Odinga's kingship to King Nabongo Mumia of the Wanga Kingdom. They trade together, travel through Kisumu International Airport, and meet on the pitch in the Mashemeji Derby between Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards.

That bond was the foundation of Kenya's second liberation. After the repeal of Section 2A, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, a Luo, stood together with Masinde Muliro, a Luhya. Their alliance broke Kanu. That historic pact is on the verge of collapse.

The trigger was the expulsion of Senator Edwin Sifuna as ODM Secretary-General, having served for 10 years in that docket. A decade in ODM is not a mean feat. He was Raila's loyal lieutenant and custodian of the party's secrets and battles. His removal by the Luo faction led by Oburu Oginga has been read in Western not as discipline, but as betrayal.

Expelling Sifuna and Senator Godfrey Osotsi from ODM was regressive. But hounding them out of the two most powerful Senate watchdog committees was pure overkill.

ODM has a history of devouring its non-Luo youthful leaders. Ababu Namwamba, a Luhya, who swore by Odinga's name after the disputed 2007 election, was hounded out. Magerer Langat, a Kipsigis reformist, suffered the same fate.

What makes Sifuna's case definitive is the silence of those expected to defend principle. Governor Anyang' Nyong'o has not condemned it. Senior Counsel Otiende Amollo said nothing. The Odinga family - Mama Ida, Winnie and Ruth - watched quietly. Only three leaders had the spine to stand with Sifuna: Governor James Orengo, and MPs Caroli Omondi and Babu Owino in the Linda Mwananchi bandwagon.

When goons attack Osotsi in Kisumu for associating with Sifuna, the signal is unmistakable. To Luhyas, Sifuna was ODM's highest-ranking son, their Mashemeji pact insurance. Ejecting him over broad-based government tells Mulembe they are mere guests in ODM, not owners.

The backlash has been immediate. Sifuna never attacks his detractors directly. He calls a spade a spade, not a big spoon, and continues to don Baba's emblem. That consistency has turned the attacks on him into political capital. When Francis Atwoli, Wycliffe Oparanya and Musalia Mudavadi - Luhya leaders now in government - lined up to insult him at funerals and fundraisers, they only grew his popularity in Kakamega, Bungoma, Vihiga, Busia and Trans Nzoia.

The real elders have spoken. Noah Wekesa, former minister Fred Gumo, and the Luhya Council of Elders have all endorsed Sifuna as their son who must be protected. These are not social media elders. They install leaders in Western.

It sounded insulting when Sifuna vowed not to serve as Oburu's deputy, but it was honest. At 82, Oburu is respected to bless, not to drive. He needed to look back at the 10-year journey Raila walked with Sifuna, trusting him with the party's most sensitive organ. If Odinga were alive today, he would not have backed the purge. He would have quit the broad-based government to back Sifuna, or at worst remained silent until campaign time. Raila always aligned with where the majority was going. He had already said ODM would field a presidential candidate in 2027. He knew where the wind was blowing.

The practical consequences are already visible. ODM Chairman in Nairobi, Mr George Aladwa, built his career on a Luo-Luhya coalition in Makadara. With Luhyas now rallying behind Sifuna, his re-election is in jeopardy unless he defects to the Linda Mwananchi camp. Many MCAs in Nairobi and Western who took the Mashemeji vote for granted face the same fate.

Mistrust between Wamalwa Kijana and Raila after Jaramogi's death once sparked violence in Thika when Reverend Manases Kuria tried to mediate and birthed the LDP when Raila resigned his Langata seat. We recovered because elders prevailed. Today, elders are being ignored.

Sifuna did not kill Luo-Luhya unity. Those who betrayed him for a seat at the broad-based table did. The social ties of marriage and trade will survive, but the political pact that delivered 2013, 2017 and 2022 has been broken, and Sifuna's expulsion may have driven the final nail into its coffin.

The Luos always thought that they would be the first community in Western Kenya to capture the presidency. Their hopes got dimmer in 2022. That’s why some are jealous of Matiang'i and Sifuna.

Contrary to the perception that Babu, and Sifuna were Siamese twins, cracks began to emerge after the mammoth Jacaranda rally. With Babu's new party and declaration that he does not have to attend all Linda Mwananchi rallies, the rift between Luos and Luhyas will continue to widen.

Is a Kenyan public affairs commentator based in Washington, US