Eva Nyambura
COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli has chided Kakamega senator Cleophas Malala for calling off his meeting slated for Friday.
The meeting is set to be held at Bukhungu Stadium, Kakamega county.
Speaking at the 41st Vihiga Cultural Festival, which was attended by Ford Kenya’s Moses Wetangula and ANC’s Musalia Mudavadi, Malala said the meeting dubbed “Luhya Unity convention” stood nullified, pending his party leader’s go ahead.
“I have heard you (Mudavadi) saying that you will not attend the meeting. You all know that Kakamega is my territory. I want to tell the organizers of the said meeting that they must seek Mudavadi’s permission or else their meeting will not happen. But because Mudavadi has not given me a nod to allow them to convene their forum, I have officially called it off and no such meeting will happen at the Bukhungu Stadium on the 31st of December,” said Malala.
Read: Atwoli Urges Gideon Moi to Ditch OKA, Declares DP Ruto Unfit to Lead Country
Responding to the senator, the trade unionist dismissed him as a “junior senator” without the political wherewithal to call off the said meeting.
“You are a junior Senator who has neither the capacity to speak on behalf of the Luhya community nor the ability to call on and off such a meeting. The Bukhungu II meeting brings together ALL progressive leaders and locals from the 5 counties in the region,” tweeted Atwoli.
You are a junior Senator who has neither the capacity to speak on behalf of the Luhya community nor the ability to call on and off such a meeting. The Bukhungu II meeting brings together ALL progressive leaders and locals from the 5 counties in the region. https://t.co/WoH3i9IeLO
— Francis Atwoli NOM (DZA), CBS, EBS, MBS. (@AtwoliDza) December 26, 2021
The meeting is meant to chart a way forward for the vote-rich Luhya nation.
Atwoli, a lifetime member of Kanu, has publicly declared his support for Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Raila Odinga.
Meanwhile, other Luhya leaders including Musalia and Bungoma senator Moses Wetangula have declined to support Raila who will in 2022 take the fifth stab at the presidency.
Wetangula and Musalia have been said to be secretly meeting with Deputy President William Ruto ahead of the August polls.
The duo who are part of the One Kenya Alliance (Oka) have neither denied nor confirmed the allegations.
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