Kisumu Senator Prof Tom Ojienda has expressed his commitment to working with the Kenya Kwanza administration, despite his coalition members’ refusal to acknowledge President William Ruto’s government. Ojienda, a member of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party, said he would cooperate with the government to address the needs of the electorate, particularly in the areas of education, health, security, and infrastructure. He further stated that he would not participate in the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition protest rallies against the government, citing their potential to disrupt development projects in his region.
During a political meeting at Kogola Primary School in Nyakach Sub-County, Ojienda announced that he had met with ICT and Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo, and that they had established a close working relationship that would benefit the region through development initiatives. Ojienda also revealed plans to launch a water project at Kogola Primary School and to address other challenges facing the area.
The meeting was attended by several Kisumu Members of County Assembly who had been de-whipped by the ODM party for meeting Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo. The “unity for development” meeting, hosted by Central Nyakach MCA Vincent Obuya, emphasized the importance of working with the national government, which controls 85% of the country’s resources. The leaders also accused political detractors of circulating leaflets to discourage people from attending the meeting.
North Nyakach MCA Tom Nyaoke stated that they were not concerned about being de-whipped from the ODM party and called on Senator Ojienda to continue working with the national government. The ODM’s Kisumu County Assembly leadership discharged the 11 members who served in more than two committees, citing their disloyalty to the party and its leadership and their promotion of other party ideals.
Despite the tensions within the ODM party and its coalition, Senator Ojienda and other leaders maintained their commitment to working with the government to address the needs of their constituents.
