Leaders of the Freedom and Opportunity Party (FOP) have begun seeking support among members of the Luo community as they explore an alliance with the Kikuyu community ahead of the next general election.
FOP deputy leader Joseph Mathai said cooperation between the two communities had previously played a significant role in Kenya’s politics.
He cited the 2002 general election, when opposition parties united to defeat the then ruling Kanu government.
Mathai was speaking during the burial of Winnie Onyango, the daughter of FOP presidential aspirant Onyango Oloo, in Riat Hills, Kisumu East constituency.
He said the Luo community should consider fielding a presidential candidate following the death of former ODM leader Raila Odinga.
“A general election can never be complete without a Luo as a presidential candidate,” Mathai said. He added that his party was supporting Mr Oloo as its presidential candidate.
Mathai called for political reforms and urged like-minded leaders to work together.
Oloo is a former secretary general of the now-defunct The National Alliance (TNA).
However, Kisumu Central MP Joshua Oron said residents of Nyanza should support President William Ruto, citing development projects initiated by the government in the region.
Dr Oron, who is seeking the Kisumu governorship in next year’s elections, said the president had acted on most of the requests he made during Ruto’s four-day visit to Nyanza.
Meanwhile, Father Charles Oloo K’Ochiel, vice-rector of St Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary in Nairobi, urged politicians and voters to promote tolerance during the election period.
Father K’Ochiel, who delivered the sermon at the burial, also urged residents to reject attempts to incite violence.
He said voters should carefully examine the policies of political leaders and understand their proposals before making their choices.
“Respect for human life and its sanctity is very important,” he said.
Kisumu East MP Ahmed Shabir, who also attended the burial, urged politicians to campaign on their policies rather than use young people to perpetrate violence.
He said voters ultimately had the power to decide who would represent them.
Winnie Onyango, a High Court advocate, was described by friends and colleagues in the legal profession as sharp, disciplined and strict.
She was buried in Riat Hills, Kisumu East constituency.
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