By Adede Owala Derep Ruoth (On Facebook)
In East Kano, we have a clan called Sidho which are technically assimilated Bantus. Sidho clan is an hybrid of three communities, Abarondo and Mukseru (Muksero) who later intermarried with the Luo community. We also had Mikiria which was rather a smaller group.
Up to around the 90s, there was part of Sidho who identified as the Abarondo and another part who identified as the Mukseru. The legendary Lwanda Magere and Chief Kitoto Obuon are from this clan.
Initially the Kisii community were the first people to occupy Kano plains particularly the north west and eastern side. The Abarondo and the Mukseru community in Kano which forms the Sidho clan had migrated alongside the Kisiis in the 16th century.
History has it that Luos had no plans of pushing out the Kisiis who had settled in Kano because Luos wanted numbers to help them fight the Nandi warriors who were very aggressive and had made it their hobby to attack the Luos especially the ones living near Nandi escarpment.
Luos later realized that the Kisii numbers were not helpful in any way because they would either hide their tails at the time of war or were used as spies by the Nandi warriors. That is how they ended up being chased from Kano, through Nyakach to the hills .
Though relatively smaller in number, the Abarondo and the Mukseru communities sided with Luos in the major battles that we fought with the Nandi. The Abarondo were gifted magicians and their expertise was needed to protect the Luo warriors, and they delivered.
While Kisiis and Luos have portrayed a good relationship and are fairly good neighbours with perfect cross-border cooperation, one fact is that the two can’t jointly go for a war of whichever nature.
This has been historically and politically proven. What looks like a good political relationship is basically forged and cosmetic, it has failed to work.
Deep within, Kisiis have a number of problems with Luos which are not even making sense because it has something to do with culture. Do you know it is easier for a Kisii to get employed in a Luo County government than for a Luo to get employed in a Kisii county government? Story for another day!
The total number of votes Raila got from the two Kisii counties in 2022 election is equivalent to what three Luo constituencies ; Alego Usonga, Kisumu Central and Kanyada ( Homa Bay town) gave Raila in the same election. Kisiis gave Ruto about sixty percent of the votes.
In some interesting circumstances, ODM parliamentary and civic candidates in Kisii and Nyamira got more votes than Raila the presidential candidate.
It was funny seeing the same people who voted for Ruto (Kisiis) making noise for Raila yesterday because he decided to join Ruto. What did you expect him to do Okembo? Insult your God given president? So you people intentionally made a wrong decision at the ballot so that Raila could spend another five years on the street suffocating in teargas to make it right?
The only way you could have made things right was through the ballot which you failed to do. It is never an obligation of any community or an individual to wipe your a$$ after gambling with the future of this country with the wrong people every election. If you make a wrong decision, we will help you make it worse.
And for your information, Raila signed the agreement with Ruto as a Luo leader, ODM was just used to avoid the tribal narrative; even Ruto knows that Luos are the only constant constituency Raila can count on. Any one from Kisii or other part of the country who has held his scrotum in his palm and feels that it is full can just vie and take the presidency from Ruto, we have no problem.
As Luos – we are busy calculating.
