Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and Foreign and Diaspora Affairs CS Musalia Mudavadi holds a meeting with the Iteso community on November 8, 2025 / OPCSPrime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign and Diaspora Affairs CS Musalia Mudavadi has received a memorandum from the leadership of the Iteso community pushing for deeper inclusion and fair representation.
Mudavadi said the government is ready to walk hand in hand with the Iteso people in realising a positive and progressive transformation for the community.
He said key highlights of the Memorandum focusing on enhanced engagement, affirmative action and administrative recognition for the community, are timely and attainable.
“I have to acknowledge that before me lies a very serious assignment. This memorandum carries weight not only for the benefit of the Iteso people here in Kenya, but for the greater good of our nation and humanity,” Mudavadi said.
“Guided by the spirit and letter of the 2010 Constitution, which guarantees equality, affirmative action for marginalised groups, inclusive governance and fair representation, my office has taken note of these concerns and aspirations.”
Under the umbrella of the Union of the Iteso People in Kenya, the delegation was led by Teso North MP, Oku Kaunya, who was recently coronated as the Iteso People’s spokesperson.
In the Memorandum, the leadership made reference to the Iteso cultural system that emphasises respect for elders and ancestors, communal solidarity, harmony with nature, integrity, gender complementarity, hospitality, courage, and value for livestock and land as identity.
“What we are presenting to you, the Prime Cabinet Secretary, as a friend of the Iteso, reflecting on your forthrightness, humility, faithfulness and focus, is that we want our case to be heard; the marginalisation aspect is what is hindering our progress as a community,” Kaunya said.
Kaunya, who conveyed the apologies of Teso South MP, Mary Emase and Busia Senator Okiya Omtata, who were to be part of the delegation, said the current socio-political and economic challenges of the Iteso have deep historical roots ranging from the colonial boundary adjustments in the early 1900s that split the community between Kenya and Uganda, disrupting trade, migration, and kinship networks.
“During the colonial period, Teso areas were treated as labour reserves and received minimal investment in infrastructure, education, and healthcare. Post-independence, political and development priorities continued to favour more influential regions, leaving the Iteso underrepresented in national politics, senior public service, development projects, and diplomatic appointments,” Kaunya noted.
“In Bungoma and Trans Nzoia counties, where the Iteso command over 98,000 and 75,000 registered voters respectively, their voting strength has not translated into proportional political representation or leadership opportunities.”
He added that in Busia County, where the community is most concentrated, under-representation remains stark, with out of 35 elected MCAs, only 12 are Iteso, and out of 18 nominated MCAs, only one is from the Iteso community.
“At the national level, the highest recent executive appointment was that of an Assistant Minister in 2013; the community has never held a Cabinet Secretary position.”
The Prime Cabinet Secretary assured the community that guidance on a structured, lawful and coordinated path will be crafted, both within government systems and through continued personal engagement.
Mudavadi said his personal and family attachment with the Iteso people dates back to the era of then Finance Assistant Minister Stephen Achiya Echakara, who was then MP for Busia North and a close ally to the late Mzee Moses Mudavadi and the late Fredrick Oduya Oprong, who survived an assassination attempt in 1994 while serving as an assistant minister for Planning and Economic Development.
Mudavadi said Oprong’s memories are still fresh in his mind as he also worked with him, pointing out how the legislator survived with a bullet that remained lodged in his brain until his demise, 25 years later.
“Personally, I have also enjoyed cordial working ties with the likes of Barua Chele the former PS in various ministries, including Information & Broadcasting where I served as a Minister during the late Rtd President Daniel Moi’s and also, I have nurtured friendship ties with Mzee Albert Ekirapa, former Amagoro MP and a dedicated Iteso leader who was instrumental in the creation of the Teso District,” Mudavadi said.
“I acknowledge having been good friends with Prof Martin Etyang, who once chaired the ANC Party’s elections board during my leadership, and I am happy to see him being part of this serious delegation. In the previous elections, we have had ANC (my party) win seats in Busia with Oku Kaunya being one of my MPs in 2017.”
Mudavadi also reflected on the quest by the Iteso people when they were agitating for the establishment of the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK), Katakwa Diocese, formed in 1991 with its headquarters in Amagoro.
Then, as a young member of Parliament, he was part of the voices that supported the move that has since remained historical among the Iteso people.
“I was a young legislator, and together with the late Mark Too, we made a political statement after realising that a section of the Iteso Anglicans had camped outside the home of the late Archbishop Manasses Kuria for days. When my senior colleagues questioned me, I stood firm that the Diocese was well deserved as a matter of principle,” Mudavadi reflected.
Mudavadi appreciated the unity of purpose and the leadership’s acknowledgement of the efforts being made by President William Ruto’s administration to ensure that all communities, including the Iteso, fully benefit from the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.
Historically, he said, the Iteso have played a pivotal role in regional trade, agriculture, cultural preservation, and Kenya’s political stability.
They are widely recognised for their honesty, hard work, humility, peacefulness, and loyalty, traits that have guided their contributions to national cohesion and community development.
According to the 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census, the Iteso population in Kenya is approximately 417,670, representing less than 1 per cent of the national population, with Busia County alone accounting for about 306,150 people, translating to 34.3 per cent of the county population.
