Jobs are scarce. Parliament on Monday released the list of applicants for the nine slots at the East Africa Legislative Assembly in Arusha, Tanzania.
The posts have attracted 287 applicants. Of these, 241 have applied through the two leading coalitions.
Kenya Kwanza has 145 applicants for five positions, while Azimio has 96 for four. The other applicants are from other parties or independent individuals.
Parliament will vote for the applicants on November 17. The new EALA session will be inaugurated on December 17.
The Star splash for Tuesday titled, “Dilemma: Ruto, Raila allies battle for 9 jobs”, details the hard task President William Ruto and opposition leader Raila Odinga face in filling the slots.
They will have to disappoint close allies and even family members who are counting on their support.
Why this massive interest in EALA jobs? Power and its trappings: that is the nature of politics.
The profiles of the applicants reveal this. Most of them are politicians who lost in the last election.
They obviously used a lot of money during the campaigns, and a job at EALA would be a soft landing - and balm for their bruised egos. They would also recoup some of the campaign expenses.
In addition, the EALA position gives the holder visibility and keeps one away from the political cold as he or she possibly strategies for another attempt in 2027.
Without a job, a politician may easily be forgotten as the incumbent in their county or constituency hogs the limelight for the next five years.
That would explain why prominent politicians like Kanu chairman and former Baringo Senator Gideon Moi and his former counterpart in Busia Amos Wako want to go to the regional parliament.
A curious element in this story is the interest the larger Odinga clan has in EALA. On Monday, the Star exclusively revealed that Raila’s daughter Winnie submitted her application for the job.
Pundits opined her father was preparing her to succeed him as Luo Nyanza kingpin when he exits the political arena.
Well, it turns out there are two more EALA aspirants from the Odinga family. Raila’s elder brother and Siaya Senator Oburu Oginga’s son Jaoko and Raila’s cousin George Midiwo are among those on the Azimio list.
Oburu himself is a former EALA member. If Winnie, Jaoko or Midiwo gets the seat, it would be the second time a member of the family would be representing Kenya in Arusha.
