- Raila's tour would widen his rift with Musalia and Wetang'ula.
- Western leaders allied to Uhuru-Raila axis excited with government's planned Sh5 billion worth of development.
Image: FILE
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga is planning an extensive tour of Western Kenya to fortify his foothold as the scramble for the region intensifies.
The Star has established that the former Premier on Friday night held talks with a section of leaders from the region to plan the visit that would ramp up his support.
Raila is said to be planning the tour immediately the Coronavirus pandemic restrictions are lifted by the government.
The visit would escalate his political war with Amani National Congress leader Musalia Mudavadi and Ford Kenya's Moses Wetang'ula.
The two have pointed an accusing finger at Raila over their political tribulations.
Wetang'ula's convoy was on Friday tear-gassed by police as he made way to his Bungoma home on Saturday.
Friday's Raila meeting was held at a hotel in Karen and was attended by Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya, who is also Raila's ODM deputy party leader.
MPs Justus Kizito (Shinyalu), Raphael Wanjala (Budalang'i) and Bernard Shilani (Ikolomani) of Jubilee also attended the talks.
The meeting also reviewed the raging political heat in Western Kenya and devised strategies on how to sustain Raila's popularity.
Earlier before meeting, Raila and Oparanya hosted leaders of the 400-member Luyha professional Association, which backs his political endeavours.
On Sunday, Oparanya said leaders from the Western region would continue to hold more meetings to work out plans on how to address the economic and political challenges facing the people.
“We want to tell our people from across the whole of the Western Kenya regions that working together with President Uhuru's government major development initiatives are underway to revive the economy of the region,” Oparanya said.
Soon we are going to have meetings across the region with the party leader, he added.
The meeting came just a day after Oparanya rallied over 20 MPs from the region for a meeting with top government officials led by Interior and Coordination of National Government CS Fred Matiang'i.
This gave the strongest indication that the government has a special focus on the region in what analysts say is a plan to counter DP William Ruto.
The Star understands that Oparanya briefed Raila of their talks with Matiang's led team to get a clear picture of the government's projects in the region that would benefit.
Kizito said the region was firmly behind the Raila-Uhuru handshake and would rally their people to support the Building Bridges Initiative.
“The focus of the leaders from western Kenya is to ensure that we lobby for government support to revive the economy that has been affected for many years,” he told the Star.
The MP said the government had planned to embark on an elaborate plan to address sugarcane and cotton farming as well as inject substantial resources to improve infrastructure.
Already, MPs from the region allied to Musalia, Wetangula and Ruto are getting it rough in holding any meetings with those coalescing around Raila's camp having no trouble.
With the moribund Nasa coalition technically dead after Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Chama cha Mashinani's Isaac Rutto signed a pact with Jubilee, a vicious battle has emerged for the control of Western Kenya.
On one axis, Musalia and Wetang'ula have crossed ranks and are also said to be rolling out a series of activities across the region that would culminate in major rallies after Covid-19.
The two have mobilised MPs allied to them to put up a supremacy fight against Raila and his allies from the region amid reports of an alliance with Ruto.
Oparanya and Devolution Cabinet secretary Eugene Wamalwa, who are leading the Raila onslaught, have been holding a series of high-level meetings across the Western region in the last three weeks.
The Oparanya's team is said to be having the blessings of President Uhuru and firebrand Cotu secretary general Francis Atwoli.