Gem constituency Member of Parliament Elisha Odhiambo on Tuesday claimed that his party leader Raila Odinga should not blame anyone for having failed to capture the presidency in August 2022.
Elisha, who leads one of the six constituencies in Siaya County where Raila comes from, claimed that the opposition chief had all that it would take to capture the presidency but he failed.
Using an analogy, the lawmaker demonstrated that a police officer with a gun who allows a thief to snatch his phone away without shooting at him should not blame anyone.
“If you are a police officer walking down River Road in Nairobi then a thief snatches your mobile phone and you fail to shoot him with your gun, whom do you blame?,” Elisha poised.
“That police officer”, Elisha stressed, “should not blame anyone”.
This was in apparent reference to Raila who, in the last presidential contest, had the incumbency behind his candidacy; what in the street parlance was known as the ‘system’.
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) lawmaker is one of the nine elected leaders from Nyanza who recently visited President William Ruto in State House and pledged to work with him.
The MP reiterated that he, through the backing of the voters of Gem, will support Ruto for he was chosen by God.
“God gives us the power to elect leaders and commands us to respect them. I know that, us Luos knew we were going to win the presidency but God gave us a different person,” Elisha said.
Through his engagement with the Head of State, Elisha said that Gem will soon start witnessing goodies from the government.
Some of the developments he said were in the offing courtesy of his visit to State House were the creation of more divisions and sub-locations within his area of jurisdiction.
Elisha reported that Ruto had Okayed the construction of lecture halls on the 100-acre Nyamninia land in the outskirts of Yala town.
In the same breadth, Elisha called on his constituents to continue registering as voters so that he can be able to lobby for the splitting of the constituency into two.
That, he said, would see creation of more employment opportunities and resources for the region.
The lawmaker was speaking during the distribution of constituency education bursary worth ksh20,329,000.
A total of 4,034 students spread across secondary day/boarding, secondary schools and colleges and universities benefitted.
Up to 1,671 day-scholars received ksh4,000 each; 786 in boarding schools got Ksh5,000 each.
Initially, some 32 students who joined Form One had received Ksh35,000 each. A total of 690 Form Ones have so far received the education sponsorship.
Some 662 students spread across various colleges and universities in the country also benefitted.
In the meantime, the mutinying MP maintained that he wants to be the next secretary general of the orange party.
“I have said many times that I am going to be the next secretary general of the ODM. The leadership thatb has been surrounding Raila has never been brave, tough or strategic in helping him get the presidency,” he claimed.
Elisha believes that in him is everything that the ODM has been lacking and that will propel the political outfit into capturing the presidency.
Ends….