Politics, they say, is local. Kenyans--and probably the wider world--know that I come from Suna East in Migori County.
Over the past few weeks, the sustained attacks on my Member of Parliament and on a young man from Suna East have been relentless. I have known both my entire life, and while they are now public figures subject to public scrutiny, it must be stated clearly and without equivocation: these attacks are unfounded and unwarranted.
Migori is one county where political tides do not automatically elevate anyone. Our electoral history demonstrates this clearly. The current Woman Representative won on an independent ticket. In 2013, our former Governor defeated a professor who was running on an ODM ticket while he himself was on a PDP ticket. In the same election, Hon Jared Kopiyo won the Awendo parliamentary seat on a Ford Kenya ticket. In 2017, Suna West elected Hon Peter Masara on an independent ticket against an ODM incumbent. Against this backdrop, it is a misrepresentation to suggest that Hon Junet Mohamed has won elections simply because his hand was raised by Raila Amollo Odinga.
What many fail to acknowledge is a simple political reality: Baba was always with the people, and he only held the hands of those who already had the people behind them. This is not to deny that his immense political stature helped some leaders ride on his coattails. Many were elected because of the reverence Kenyans had for him, and some abused their proximity to him to psychologically influence voters. Junet may have benefited from Baba's stature, but he is also self-made.
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Proximity to power works much like playing for a big football club. Being at Real Madrid or Arsenal can help a player win trophies and gain visibility, but only talented players are signed in the first place. Junet is where he is because of the solid political base he built in Suna East. His closeness to Baba was earned through political acumen, consistency, and hard work.
Even if that proximity unsettled some--understandably so, given the enigma that Baba was--the allegations now being levelled against Junet do not hold water. Baba himself would have spoken, or at the very least given a signal. He did not. No one can now speak on his behalf when we all have access to his public words and his long-standing relationships with leaders across the political divide.
Many people in Suna East are proud of what Junet has done for the constituency and of his loyalty to Baba. That said, anyone who feels called to replace him is free to seek the mandate of the people. Migorians are not strangers to competitive politics. Big names on ODM tickets have fallen before. Yet for three consecutive terms, voters have entrusted Junet with the responsibility of representing them, and many remain proud of that choice.
Using the last election as a tool to settle scores ahead of the next one is not only misguided; it risks aiding and abetting the very rigging machinery many claim to oppose. Even without access to granular details, none of us recalls Baba insinuating that any of his key allies betrayed him or denied him victory. His final public discourse on elections focused on stolen results and the need to open the servers. He did not accuse those now being targeted in the court of public opinion.
The persistent narrative about "agents" raises fundamental questions. If the claim is that Azimio lost because of agents, and that certain communities did not vote, then the unavoidable conclusion is that the election was rigged. A free, fair, transparent, credible, and verifiable election cannot depend solely on agents. Those pushing this narrative must tell us precisely what was manipulated in their absence. We cannot afford intellectual laziness.
What would happen if Luo Nyanza recorded a 99 per cent turnout in the next election? Who would benefit? Should Kenyans allocate billions of shillings to the IEBC only to hinge electoral credibility on the presence or absence of agents? These are the questions we should be interrogating if we are serious about electoral justice.
The carefully curated narrative of low turnout or suppressed numbers in Luo Nyanza is likely to be a decisive factor in 2027. The more it is repeated, the more we lose both the moral and logical ground to demand justice, and the easier it becomes to justify another flawed election through manufactured explanations. Simply put, the attacks on Junet are unjustified, just as his own indiscriminate attacks on former Azimio allies are equally misplaced. A sober society would focus on fixing the system so that every vote counts and only the rightful winner is declared.
Back in Migori County, and in Suna East in particular, the attacks on Oketch Salah--a son of my hometown--are equally unwarranted. His interactions with Baba are well documented and publicly available. We cannot attack him simply for speaking. Not everyone is a polished communicator, but many remember his public appearances alongside Baba. On several occasions, Baba himself introduced Oketch as his adopted son, a point reiterated by Oburu Odinga when he represented Baba at Hon Dalmas Otieno's funeral.
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Perhaps Oketch has spoken too much. Even so, it is more honest to evaluate him through the lens of how Baba presented him to Kenyans, rather than through hostile narratives driven by vested interests. He should be judged on substance, not on rumours.
Kenyans must resist attempts to disrespect the legacy of a man who meant so much to so many. It is wrong to weaponise alleged private conversations that carry little public interest, especially when dealing with a leader whose political life was defined by his instinct to make public what truly mattered. Baba understood the difference between personal exchanges and matters of national importance. Even under the tyranny of the KANU regime, he spoke openly when the public good demanded it.
What he chose not to share with Kenyans then cannot suddenly become important now, nor should it be amplified by individuals whose motives remain unclear.
