HON. MOSES WETANGULA POST RE ELECTION CONSEQUENCES

An OPEN LETTER to HON. MOSES  WETANG'ULA. Congratulations on your RE ELECTION as SENATOR for BUNGOMA COUNTY. The RE ELECTION on 19th created tremendous disagreement between sections of the electorate and  nearly 80, 000 voters rejected your candidacy by VOTING AGAINST YOU as SENATOR....as a PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE in 2017 it is ideal that these 80,000  MUST VOTE for you . Some might listen to you directly and change their preference in your favor. Most will listen only to those they believe in like Eugene, Kombo, Lusaka, Rejinata, Contrary to what some advisers might consel, their aggregate support base constitutes a Substantial mass of voters in BC.and since ...POLITICS is not ROMANCE, you do not need to be in love with such a support base or its vectors or their political centers of gravity....you on,y need a constructive engagement with it....you know better than I do the value of a strategic alliance even with a person you may detest in private but for political reasons you must engage and maintain a relation with.  ALL of us under your leadership must INCREASE VOTER ENROLLMENT from the current 398,000 to a decent portion of the 1,200,000 adult denizens who reside in and can vote in  BC. Of these you must identify and maintain to the ballot, a CORE SUPPORT BASE pf at least 35% to which you must CULTIVATE AND CONVERT  and ADD POCKETS of SUPPORT from  persons and regions who may not like you at a personal level but you give them reason to ASSOCIATE with you or TOLERATE and support you POLITICALLY. In POLITICAL PRAGMATISM, your options must include courting favor from Hon. Ken Lusaka, Hon. Musikari Kombo, Hon, Dan Wanyama, Hon, Bonnie Otsiula, Hon. Serut, even my agemate Hon. Rejinata Wanyonyi, and the erstwhile Hon. Eugene Wamalwa and even if advisers tell you the support of such people is waning and unnecessary, you  MUST RESIST and REJECT  such  praise worship advise and look at the value proposition your current detractors offer. Remember people like former Councillor Bakasa Nasietuya has already began work as some Engineer of sorts in the County Government.  I have dark thoughts about the wisdom of the VICTORY LAP and the sabre rattling made by #teamweta at various pit stops in BC on FRIDAY the 21st ..in my estimation, it may not have been of any strategic value, it may have served  some nominal political therapy of  bloodying the nose of your opponent or kiking sand into their eyes for public show to all and sundry who has traction amongst the majority of voters in BC. But then that is already settled and recorded on the DECLARATION of RESULT handed to the VICTOR at KIE on FRIDAY. So it was wholly needless as it is hardening positions that may require negotiated compromise going forward.  POLITICAL PRAGMATISM dictates that your options must include courting favor even if COVERTLY, from Hon. Ken Lusaka, Hon. Eugene Wamalwa, Hon.  Kombo, Hon, Dan Wanyama, Hon, Bonnie Otsiula, Hon. Serut, even my agemate Hon. Rejinata Wanyonyi, and even if advisers tell you the support of such people is waning and unnecessary, you must resist and reject such advise and look at the value proposition these centers of political gravity offer. It costs nothing, but ignoring their support base may cost your presidential bid necessary or marginal support. I cannot rule out these team presenting a candidate for presidency from amongst themselves, even if for nuisance value only or to show the rest of Kenya that you do not have a firm grip of BC. That is why the VICTORY LAP and the sabre rattling made by your team at various pit stops on FRIDAY the 21st may not have been entirely of value in pure strategic terms, it may have served the therapeutic purpose of bloodying the nose of opponents ..of showing who's is in charge of BC....but those opponents are down, no need kicking sand into their eyes...many  of them are sitting MPs from whom you may need support to deliver on the promises of   POLITICS in the next FOUR YEARS....some like the GOVERNOR despite your RE ELECTION, remain in EXECUTIVE AUTHORITY, and barring some petition for his removal (and I really doubt the wisdom of such a strategy) or stonewalling from a section of the MCAs, his agenda and wishes will pretty much pass thru the County Assembly.  Cheques in EXECUTION of DEVELOPMENT and RECURRENT EXPENDITURE will still be undertaken by his office even if we may not like the flavor of his Governance, we may be forced to LIVE WITH it, just like your opponents are expected to ACCEPT and LIVE with your incumbency as SENATOR for the next 4 YEARS. I would counsel that we live with and learn to work with the incumbency of the Government of Hon. Ken Lusaka. I  advise strategic engagement with your detractors...in the past, you tried it in Kilaguni ......Musalia declined to turn up....you gave in to Eugene at the Manguliechi funeral ..he shirked responsibility to run for any office...... DE'ENTENTE ....between FK and NFK and whatever pockets of UDF exist in BC has value.....They may not have voted for you, but they are POTENTIALLY your voters in a PRESIDENTIAL CONTEST,  do not assume they will automatically switch on their favor for your candidacy when you emerge as FK NOMINEE, they may choose to hurt your candidacy just by playing the nuisance card....like your best friend Hon. Wakoli tried to do. In 2017 when you will be a PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE,  your conduct , utterance and benevolence immediately after your RE ELECTION as SENATOR will come sharply into focus....that is why, temperance, moderation, accommodation, reflection and deep wisdom, which you have in plenty, commends itself over saber rattling, chest thumping and kicking your detractors into the dust when they are already down and out. We will need every ounce of the 1,200,000 possible VOTERS in BC, to scare even RAILA ODINGA into submission, before we look to KAKAMEGA, BUSIA, VIHIGA and other friendly COUNTIES for Ballot energy. As one who has been in the trenches with you, when you supported my election as Chair, KANU-Bumula Constituency in March 1997, as one who has felt your pain since the misguided and ill conceived Petition in May this year thru to the Court of Appeal on that Wednesday the 11th December when a one sentence Judgment by 3 Judges of Appeal returned us to the Ballot for your eventual re election, I SUPPORT YOU WHOLLY with this TOUGH LOVE. I know you appreciate  the value of STRATEGIC THINKING rather than ROMANTIC THINKING. I have never WON any ELECTIVE SEAT you have WON MANY TIMES, in TOUGH BATTLES.....in some way, your Australian Friend was right.....God DIRECTED that you are confronted by a BY ELECTION to EXPOSE you to National Audiences and TOUGHEN YOUR METTLE, do not let your steel rust. Your OPPONENTS are grieving, they  are down, no need kicking sand into their eyes...many  of them are sitting MPs from whom you may need support to deliver on the promises of   POLITICS in the next FOUR YEARS.... Omanye olila alilanga sifwabi and in politics there is no good manners, just interests.... your opponents know thay are expected to ACCEPT and LIVE with your incumbency as SENATOR for the next 4 YEARS, but they will not tire to throw rocks your direction, particularly of you give them reason to engage in political skirmishes....wholly unnecessary. I  would counsel strategic engagement with your detractors...you tried it in Kilaguni ..Musalia declined to turn up....you gave in to Eugene at the Manguliechi funeral ..he shirked responsibility to run for any office......pragmatic choice of words  in public utterances will serve you very well, if need be, say nothing when you are expected to say something. I would counsel some DE'ENTENTE ....between FK and NFK and whatever pockets of UDF exist in BC. They may not have voted for you, but they are POTENTIALLY your voters in a PRESIDENTIAL CONTEST,  do not assume they will automatically switch on their favor for your candidacy when you emerge as FK NOMINEE, they may choose to hurt your candidacy just by playing the nuisance card....like your best friend Hon. Wakoli tried to do. In 2017 when you will be a PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE,  your conduct , utterance and benevolence immediately after your RE ELECTION as SENATOR will come sharply into focus....that is why, temperance, moderation, accommodation, reflection and deep wisdom, which you have in plenty, commends itself over saber rattling, chest thumping and kicking your detractors into the dust when they are already down and out. We will need every ounce of the 1,200,000 possible VOTERS in BC, to scare even RAILA ODINGA into submission, before we look to KAKAMEGA, BUSIA, VIHIGA and other friendly COUNTIES for Ballot energy. As one who has been in the trenches with you, when you supported my election as Chair, KANU-Bumula Constituency in March 1997, as one who has felt your pain since the misguided and ill conceived Petition in May this year thru to the Court of Appeal on that Wednesday the 11th December when a one sentence Judgment by 3 Judges of Appeal returned us to the Ballot for your eventual re election, I SUPPORT YOU WHOLLY with this TOUGH LOVE. I know you appreciate  the value of STRATEGIC THINKING rather than ROMANTIC THINKING. I have never WON any ELECTIVE SEAT you have WON MANY TIMES, in TOUGH BATTLES.....in some way, your Australian Friend was right.....God DIRECTED that you are confronted by a BY ELECTION to EXPOSE you to National Audiences and TOUGHEN YOUR METTLE, do not let your steel rust.