• The installation ceremony happened at Kehancha stadium and it coincided with the Azimio La Umoja rally.
• The ODM leader was installed by elders from the Kuria community in Migori county.
Image: ODM FACEBOOK
Azimio la Umoja presidential aspirant Raila Odinga was on Thursday installed as an elder of the minority Kuria tribe.
The ODM leader was installed by elders from the Kuria community in Migori county.
The installation ceremony happened at Kehancha stadium and it coincided with the Azimio La Umoja rally that entailed Raila meeting with professionals, elders, opinion leaders, politicians and aspirants from the community.
The move aims at ensuring the opposition chief consolidates Migori county votes where the Kuria community accounts for 25 per cent of the total 400,000 votes of the county.
In his address, the ODM leader said the Kuria community has been close to his heart.
He said his love for the community pushed him to spearhead negotiated democracy in 2013 polls that saw Wilfred Machage and Dennitah Ghati elected senator and woman representative respectively.
“But despite that, you still voted for the other side, is that being a good neighbour really?” Raila posed.
The ODM leader pledged to work together with the Kuria community and said they will play a key role in his government if elected president.
Principal Secretary for State Department for Social Protection Nelson Marwa and Prof Chacha Nyaigoti, who were present, pledged to work together with the former prime minister.
“Kuria community will remain united with others in Migori and Nyanza region and join other Kenyans in call for unity and development without being left out,” Marwa said.
The meeting came days after the deputy president William Ruto pitched a tent in the area holding several rallies in Kuria East and Kuria West constituencies.
The DP was in the company of area legislators Marwa Kitayama (Kuria East) and Mathias Robi (Kuria West).
“While Ruto has got the support of the two MPs, we pledge to be your footsoldiers. We will work hard and ensure the whole of the Kuria community is behind you in the forthcoming polls," Tyson Kemege, Kuria East MP aspirant allied to Raila, said.
Head-to-head pitting Raila
In the August presidential poll s in 2017, President Uhuru Kenyatta garnered 41,951 votes (65 per cent of the cast votes) while Raila got 21,202 votes (34 per) in Kuria.
In the repeat poll, Uhuru won in both constituencies with 19,587 votes in Kuria West and Raila got 214 votes.
Uhuru also won in the Kuria East constituency with 13,156 votes followed by Raila who got 180 votes.
In the 2013 general elections, Raila tried a negotiated democracy between the Kuria and Luo communities but it flopped on the ballot.
A similar move was rejected by both communities in the 2017 elections.