The Luo Council of Elders has returned to the national spotlight, asserting its role in community affairs amid ongoing political and cultural debates following the recent death of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
In an extraordinary meeting convened by chairman Ker Odungi Randa in Kisumu to welcome eminent Luos co-opted into the council, the elders said they would no longer allow the community’s interests to be “spoken for, misinterpreted or diluted” by outside forces.
The council acknowledged that while the Luo community may lack financial resources, it said this should never be used as a basis to demean or undermine it.
"That we are cash poor should not be used to disenfranchise and humiliate the community," they maintained.
It also observed that a majority of the Luo community aligns politically with the ODM party.
For this reason, the council said it has a responsibility to hear the community’s concerns, particularly on the 10-point agenda in the ODM–UDA accommodation.
It added that it will remain engaged on the issue and announce its position within the next 60 days.
"The Council also takes note that the majority of the Luo nation are politically affiliated to the ODM political party. The Council therefore has a locus to listen to the concerns, fears, and anxieties, especially with respect to the 10-point agenda of the ODM/UDA accommodation. Given the foregoing, with the majority of the Luo being in ODM, there must be transparency and honesty in transactions where the political goodwill of the Luo nation is the currency. The council will remain seized with these matters and will voice its position in the next 60 days," they resolved.
Although the elders emphasised that the council is not a political movement, they said neutrality does not mean silence.
"It should be known that the LCE is not a political movement (Apolitical). While the council would not wish to be dragged into the political issues of the day, we cannot afford to shy away from situations where political decisions impact our economic interests. When the community's economic rights and interests are violated with impunity, the Council must voice the concerns of the community and provide appropriate leadership," they stated.
The council also warned against politicising sensitive development projects in the Nyanza region such as the proposed nuclear power plant in Siaya, dismissing attempts to link it to political bargaining as “cheap PR when dealing with a matter as serious as a nuclear plant.”
"For example, the recent underhanded sales and leasing of sugarcane factories in Luo land amounts to disenfranchisement not only of current generations but future generations in perpetuity," they insisted.
The council further raised concerns about the proposed nuclear energy plant in Rarieda, saying it rejects attempts to present it as a political reward.
"This project has been packaged as one of the dividends of the broad-based government. Such an association is, unfortunately, cheap PR when dealing with a matter as serious as a nuclear plant. What we must be addressing are the legitimate safety concerns, inclusive of possible exposure to radiation that causes cancer with devastating effects in the population living close to the plant.
At a time when Countries like Germany and Japan are decommissioning their nuclear energy plants because of safety and health concerns, being cautious is better than being sorry later. The project should sail through based on facts and not the political expediency and euphoria of the day," they said.
They insisted that legitimate safety concerns, including possible exposure to radiation, must be addressed transparently. The elders also expressed concern over what they described as shrinking job opportunities and ethnic bias in public recruitment.
“The competition for jobs, especially in the public sector, is fierce, it is extremely sad to watch the desperate stampede for the few available spaces in the military, police, TSC and PSC," they added.
The LCE further mandated a technical task force to report within 30 days on practical ways forward beyond seminars, workshops and conferences.
"The Nyanza Professional and Business Caucus will become the focal point for this important component of the agenda of the LCE," they added.
The council also mandated Phillip Okundi to lead a team of scientists locally and internationally to gather more information beyond the scientific analysis already in its possession and to report back as soon as possible, and in any case not later than 60 days.
The Nyanza professional and business caucus will also provide further institutional support.
The council said it plans to intensify engagements with other communities and with Luos both locally and in the diaspora, while also building ties with institutions representing other ethnic groups.
"The peace and prosperity of Kenya are only sustainable when all Kenyan ethnic groups embrace each other and when we promote inclusivity in our country, where our children and grandchildren are already intermarrying across the ethnic divide and our communities are living in towns and villages that are increasingly multi-ethnic," they stressed.
The elders further revealed that before the passing of Raila Odinga, he had expressed concern over what they described as the over-commercialisation of Luo funerals.
In response, the council said it will lead a 90-day consultation aimed at protecting families from what it termed exploitative and unrealistic burial expectations.
Randa, James Hayaga, Ruodh Goro, Ombuor and LCE executive members congratulated the newly co-opted members of the professional and business community.
