Navakholo MP Emmanuel Wangwe yesterday urged Opposition leader Raila Odinga to learn to coexist with other politicians.
He said Raila has a history of fighting fellow politicians to curtail their progression in leadership and Kenyans are now aware of his “dirty tricks”.
Wangwe said Raila is “a political conman”. He spoke to the Star on the phone. “He fought the late Kijana Wamalwa in Ford Kenya and he turned against Musalia Mudavadi when he declared to challenge him in ODM in 2012. He is now fighting DP William Ruto on the pretext of building bridges,” he said.
The DP on Monday hit out at Raila, accusing him of scheming to kick him out of Jubilee by peddling rumours and propaganda to sow confusion in the party and portray him as a stumbling block in the handshake. “The handshake is not a licence to allow ODM to create confusion, propaganda and conmanship in our party,” he said in Mombasa county.
But ODM brigade fired back at the DP accusing him of planning to use Raila’s name and ODM to exit Jubilee.
Yesterday, Wangwe said Raila conned Luhyas into supporting his bid but when he reached a truce with President Uhuru Kenyatta, he only negotiated for positions for his “tribesmen”.
He said Raila should appreciate the support Luhyas have given him for the last two decades and return the favour by backing a Luhya in 2022.
Mudavadi, Ford Kenya leader Moses Wetang’ula and Kakamega governor Wycliffe Oparanya are among Luhyas who have declared interest in the presidency in 2022.
National Assembly Majority chief whip Ben Washiali asked Raila to allow Luhyas to chart their own political destiny.
Speaking on the phone, Washiali said Raila is the biggest cause of disunity in the community for his own personal benefits.
“We are asking him to leave us alone, even if he does not want to support a Luhya. The only reward Raila can give Western is to let them do their way alone.
“It is interesting that Raila still imagines that he can lead Luhyas to meet President Kenyatta, yet we have our own leaders who can do that,” he said.
Last month, Mudavadi urged Raila not be afraid of being in the opposition.
“You don’t need to be in the government to become a President. The tide can change,” Musalia said.
