The Luhya council of elders is divided over support for Migori Governor Okoth Obado.
On Wednesday, a faction of the council conducted an election in Migori town to elect Absalom Mujukune and Boaz Kivanda as chairman and secretary general respectively.
The team said the community had distanced itself from a court case in Kisumu that seeks disbandment of the seven-member County Public Service Board for marginalising the community.
“We as a community are voters in Migori. We also pay our taxes and we need vacancies, but we can do so through dialogue,” Kivanda said.
Mujukune said the court case was politically instigated to tarnish the name of the governor and should be dropped to allow for dialogue.
But former councilor Benson Okera, the first chair of the Luhya council of elders, said it was true Obado has given the community a low deal in his administration.
“The governor is on his second term but apart from a county executive, we don’t feel represented as a community. As a minority community we need to be represented,” Okera said.
But speaking after the meeting, another faction led by businessman Alfred Mudeizi and Okello Kiboko said the community had initiated dialogue with the governor over employment.
“We have not moved to court against the governor. Our move is enshrined in the Constitution as we need representation in Migori as residents. Even those who had the election were in the meeting to seek court redress,” Mudeizi said.
Kiboko, who is one of the petitioners in the case, said the board has six Luos and one Kuria but no Luhya.
