Bungoma senator Moses Wetang’ula has rubbished a luhya unity forum slated for this month.
Speaking at his Kanduyi home, Wetang’ula blamed Cotu boss Francis Atwoli, the man behind the meeting, for allegedly "hawking the community for his selfish interests."
“Atwoli is a man looking for relevance and attention and every time he plays his games, he has some people funding him,” said Wetang’ula.
The senator said those seeking the presidency were not interested in tribal chieftaincy.
“We should try as a people to avoid tribal chieftaincy and denounce any efforts by anybody creating tribal kingdoms, if I want to be president I will be required to travel the entire country from Vanga to Lamu and I don’t need Atwoli to anoint me because he has no locus standing,” said Wetang’ula.
He said Atwoli was among the people who catalyze Luhya disunity.
“We have agreed with my brother Musalia Mudavadi, who we are working closely with, that we will not entertain Atwoli’s gimmicks and theatrics because that is in fact dividing the Mulembe nation more,”said Wetang’ula.
He wondered why Atwoli would claim to speak on behalf of the Luhya community but failed when he vied as MP of Khwisero.
Wetang’ula further urged Kenyans to shun tribal politics because this was not good for the country.
“There is an old man called Atwoli who thinks that he is an electoral college in Kenya. The man should be told that they are no tribal kings in Kenya,” said Wetang’ula.
The Cotu boss announced during Christmas eve that the January 18 meeting will not be a gathering to push for the realisation of Luhya unity, but its confirmation.
“Already, we are more than 100 per cent united. This elusive Luhya unity talk is a creation of the media and it should stop,” he said.
A similar meeting was held at Bukhungu Stadium on December 31, 2016, where ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi was declared the community’s spokesman.
The event, which was convened by Atwoli, elicited mixed reactions from politicians, with some questioning the process through which the spokesman was picked.
The trade unionist had hired the University of Nairobi’s economics and research department to help identify the strongest among big names that had declared interest in running for president in 2017 elections.
