Bukusu elders order Wetangula and Eseli to ‘cease fire’
Elders from the Bukusu community in Trans Nzoia have stepped in to mediate in the rift between Ford Kenya leader Moses Wetangula and his secretary general David Simiyu Eseli over the control of the second oldest party.
Through their chairman Ferdinand Wanyisia, they appealed to Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang’ula and his secretary-general who is also Tongaren Member of Parliament(MP) David Simiyu Eseli to give reconciliation a chance.
Speaking in Kwanza during a consultative meeting held at the home of the area MP Ferdinand Wanyonyi, the elders appealed to the two leaders to drop their hardline stance and allow elders to reconcile them.
Wetangula who is the most senior politician in Bungoma county is fighting tooth and nail to solidify the party he took over from Musikari Kombo when it had gone down on its' knees.
''We have met here today in a consultative meeting to lay strategies of reconciling our brothers Moses Wetang’ula, Dr. David Eseli, and Athanus Wafula Wamunyinyi to drop their hardline stand and allow us to unite the party'', said Wanyisia.
He told Kakamega governor Wycliffe Oparanya, Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa, and Cotu Secretary General Francis Atwoli to allow elders to work on a formula to have Amani National Congress Party leader Musalia Mudavadi and his Ford counterpart Moses Wetangula join other leaders in choosing a presidential candidate among them.
“As a community, we must all pull together in a united group without excluding anyone in this region to enable us to foster unity and development of our people,'' said Wanyisia.
The elders further asked the chairman of the Luhya elders council Patrick Wangamati and the Bukusu council of elders chairman Richard Walukano to immediately embark on the unity plan.
Kwanza MP Ferdinand Wanyonyi echoed the elders' sentiments and called for a truce between the feuding leaders in a unity bid to help the Luhya nation have a stab at the presidency come 2022.
He claimed that there was a well-orchestrated plan by some politicians who are working with outsiders to divide the Mulembe nation politically in order to cause friction.
According to Wanyonyi, a Cabinet Secretary had teamed up with some retired politicians drawn from the Western region to ensure Luhya leaders support a certain political block for their own selfish interests.
“We recommend that Dr. Eseli’s and Wetangula's groups swallow their pride and sit together or get a mediator so that they sort out their problems and differences as a family,” said Wanyonyi.
He said leadership wrangles being witnessed in Ford Kenya was painting Western in a bad light and told those responsible for dividing the Luhya nation to brace for hard times ahead.
