The Luo Council of Elders: From a revered entity to a toothless dog

In its heyday, the Luo Council of Elders was a key pillar driving conversations, providing directions whenever the community was at a crossroads and serving as a mediator in times of conflict.

But this is now a distant memory as the current council disintegrates into what some residents claim is now elders for hire, only available to do bidding for politicians when it suits them.

As the supremacy contest and the scramble to inherit the late ODM leader Raila Odinga's political empire, the deafening silence of the Luo Council of Elders is an open secret.

However, they are the group preparing to endorse politicians for seats as discreet meetings for hopefuls of various seats intensify.

Before his demise, the late Raila was the patron of the council and was among the key figures who helped restore order in a council fraught with deep divisions.

In his absence, however, as his brother Oburu Oginga struggles to steady the ODM ship, the elders who once stood with him and whispered words of wisdom are a no-show.

Observers believe the elders have their own problems that they have to address, and could be contributing to their laxity in intervening on issues.

Currently, there are two factions claiming legitimacy and the leadership of the Luo Council of Elders. One faction is led by Odungi Randa, as Nyandiko Ongadi also rallies his own outfit and set of elders.

According to High Court advocate and political analyst Joshua Nyamori, the elders who are outsiders in the ODM leadership structures are themselves struggling with their own unity crisis, thus they would not be able to help ODM forge a united front moving forward.

"Luo elders have no role in ODM. There's no structure for Luo elders in ODM but even if they were to come in, we must also realise that even the elders within the Luo land have heard their own challenges with regards to bringing all of them together and being able to speak in one voice so even if they spoke, their voices will not be strong enough since they'll not be able to speak in one voice," Nyamori stated.

He defended the elders over the accusations of being mute amid party wrangles, stating that ODM, being a national party with it's own structures have very few avenues through which the Luo elders can effectively render their support to the party despite their allegiance.

"The Luo elders have very little to do with what's happening in ODM. We need to separate Luo and ODM; they're not synonymous with each other. ODM is a national party with its structures and interests across the Country while Luo is a community with cultural structures that date back to about 300 years since they left Sudan, so the Luo community has very little conflict, even with the alleged conflicts in ODM," he stated.

However, according to council of Elders Odungi Randa, the council is already finalising plans to hold talks with the wrangling ODM leaders with a view to ensuring unity in the party.

"As the Luo Council of Elders, we have put up an elaborate plan where we want to hold talks with ODM leaders across the country. We'll start with ODM leadership from Luo land before reaching out to leaders from other regions. The main aim of these meetings will be to rally them behind one agenda in line with the vision of the late ODM party leader Raila Odinga," Randa said during an interview with The Standard.

He called on the ODM leaders to embrace dialogue among themselves over various issues causing division in the party in order to continue the legacy of the party's late leader and founder, Raila Odinga.

"As the leader of the Luo community, I want to plead with the ODM leadership to remain united. There's nothing better that Raila Odinga left behind for the people than the ODM party. Let the leadership focus on keeping the party united to continue the legacy of the late Raila Odinga." He said.

Odungi's sentiments were, however, opposed by his fellow elder Nyandiko Ongadi, who maintained that the disputes in the ODM party are internal and political, thus do not warrant the intervention of the Luo Council of Elders.

Nyandiko, who also leads a different faction of Luo elders, maintained that the community is not confined to ODM as there are other parties coming up in the region.

The elders, he said, will refrain from indulging in the political matters of various parties represented in the region unless their disputes threaten to directly result in physical chaos within the region.

"As a Luo elder, I don't want to comment on political matters I welcome all parties but should the wrangles in ODM reach a point where it's leading to violence then we'll give our advice to the political leaders who are members of that party at the moment I don't believe there are serious issues in ODM that warrant our interventions as Luo elders,"  Ongadi said.

In the past, however, the council played a role in bringing leaders together and was at the center of endorsing leaders. They have also presented themselves as the moral compass of the community and have been operating as political kingmakers in the region.

For instance, in the buildup to the 2022 General Elections, the council was at the center of Raila's presidential bid and rallied leaders to back him while at the same time reaching out to elders from other communities to build unity.

According to Maurice Owino, a resident of Kisumu, the elders have failed the region and are contributing to the chaos that is being witnessed in the region. 

"We have seen the family of Raila not speaking in the same language and politicians also giving contradictory statements, but the council is yet to utter a word," said Owino.

Last month, Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo also accused elders of fueling the fires of divisions during a meeting of ODM delegates at Ciala resort.