Western elders tell Eugene to quit G7

TUESDAY, 04 OCTOBER 2011 00:05 BY SIMBI KUSIMBA

OUT OF STEP? Eugene Wamalwa,William Ruto, VP Kalonzo Musyoka,Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere after a meeting in Nairobi. Photo/File

The Western Elders Advisory Council yesterday demanded that presidential hopeful Saboti MP Eugene Wamalwa stops associating with members of the G7 Alliance fronted by the Eldoret North MP Willam Ruto, DPM Uhuru Kenyatta and Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka. Council spokesman Lucas Watta said after long deliberations, the elders have resolved that Wamalwa dumps the G7 Alliance and instead begin working with the Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Deputy Prime Minister Musalia.

"Eugene's continued association with this group is counter productive....it can only serve to cause disunity at a time when we want to achieve unity and present a formidable team that is unbeatable in next year's election...he can no longer afford to be selfish and he must put the interests of people he wants to lead first," Watta said in Bungoma.

At the weekend Sports minister Paul Otuoma and Budalang'i MP Ababu Namwamba accused Wamalwa of working against the Luhya unity courtesy of his association with the G7 while Foreign Affairs minister Moses Wetang'ula said both Wamalwa and former Ford Kenya chairman Musikari Kombo had no stake in the alliance.

The advisory council is made up of elders drawn from the Luhya, Sabaot and Teso communities who have been involved in a series of consultations lately with their call coming after Cherenganyi parliamentary aspirant Musoke Muliro asked Wamalwa to check his presidential ambitions and re-align himself with the ODM.

Last week, Musoke said Wamalwa was being "misused" by the G7 Alliance to cause unnecessary divisions among the Luhya and needs to realise "he was only a decoy planted by the real leaders of the mooted alliance."These people will never support Eugene for the presidency when push came to shove," they said.

Mudavadi  has gone on record telling leaders ''not to gamble with over the country's leadership by engaging in tribal politics... we must be careful, united and focused in a strong political party as small parties will simply not survive." Luhya Council of Elders chairman Patrick Wangamati has been tasked convene a meeting of the 24 legislators from Western to chart the way forward .