All politics is local. From Elijah Mwangale, to Dr Mukhisa Kituyi, to the current Member of Parliament, this maxim couldn’t be truer for the unique brand of Kimilili politics.
In a democracy, sometimes it is not so obvious. But, the grandest challenge any leader faces is defining or redefining kingship during their reign. This is to say that to be fit to lead, a leader’s persona has to be emblematic of a certain ethos that the ruled find worthy elevating.
Thus, some leaders are fathers. Others are mothers to the populace. You are likely to come across philosophers too; still others are bearers of kamaroro that make the masses dream. That said, for most leaders their ‘style’ of leadership dies with them at end of their reign. But for a select few, their definition of kingship continues to reign such that their successors have to exhibit some of their traits if they are to be considered fit to lead. Kimilili politics personifies the later.
About Kimilili
Kimilili constituency is one such place whose politics has crystallized into a distinct persona. Bearing the burden of history as a loci for missionary activities that saw early educational opportunities for the locals, Kimilili has gifted men and women of great repute in all fields ranging from politics, academia, agriculture and culture.
Kimilili, Bungoma county\’s second urban center, is home to Pascari Nabwana the pioneer mayor of the town. In fact one will often hear Mbukusu say, “Nja kimilili wa Pascari” translated to: I am going to Kimilili, Pascari’s place. But it is not Pascari who defined Kimilili politics, that honor belongs to another equally larger than life character.
Elijah Mwangale aka Bwana Kiko, The Grandfather of Kimilili Politics
He of the namunyu kabolela libale ali wakhasila waulile fame, is the reference point for Kimilili politics. As if entering politics at a tender age of 29 just after independence was not enough, Mwangale did it with style and flamboyance.
From his majestic beard, to suave English in perfect cocktail with Lubukusu and Swahili, to his flames but fake smoking pipe; Elijah son of Phillipo was was a show stopper. This guy rose to become a powerful minister in the Moi regime, but its how he did power rather than being powerful that made his rule a template for others to follow. Power oozed out of his veins from the way he dressed to his poise and attitude. Here was a man who for his time was not only highly educated but was also an heir of sorts; who starting off with his pipe -kiko- created a persona that the people fell in love with.
By the end of his reign the people of Kimilili had come to associate leadership with sophistication – including conquering the conqueror by marrying a white woman – and generosity to a fault. And it did not end there. Elijah Mwangale carried on his ancestral duty as man from the Basombi clan.
Elijah Mwangale’s Kimilili Politics Of High Visibility Through Personal Achievements, Generosity To A Fault, Expansionism and Development Projects
The Basombi thought of themselves as the foremost of Bukusus – intelligent as medicine and architecture came naturally to them. Also the Basombi were the conquerors of new lands for the Bukusu. Not to forget their prowess as warriors. This being bana ba amberi meant that their leaders could practice their powers way beyond Kimilili.
Thus it was not uncommon for Mwangale to conduct Harambees way beyond his jurisdiction. Moreover, his generosity occasioned young girls and boys from villages as far as Khasoko and Lwakhakha to troop to Matili village in search of school fees. And to demonstrate their appreciation for his rainmaking, the same boys and girls would borrow shoes and clothes just to be in tip top shape and sing his praises.
Above all, kingship as defined by Mwangale had the interests of his people at heart. As minister and Member of Parliament, he initiated projects with unmatched fever. Good thing is some of the projects – Kamusinga girls, Chesamisi expansion, Sangalo insitute, Matili polytechnic – initiated by Mwangale have stood the test of time.
Thus thanks to Mwangale, future Kimilili leaders had to be savants of sorts manifest in high personal achievement. Further, they also had to lead with style and rhetoric laden with Bukusu idioms, proverbs and sayings. Finally, to be fit to lead in Kimilili, one also had to be visible and gather mentions regionally and locally.
Enter Mukhisa Kituyi, Wakifumbusia, Who Did Much More Than They Flush Prey From Its Hideout
Khumbusia is to rat prey out of the bush. The person who does the act of khumbusia is known as wakifumbusia. When running for the Kimilili seat in 1992 against Mwangale, Mukhisa Kituyi used this slogan to brand himself as a hunting dog who was out to flush out bad habits of hand outs.
He positioned himself as the antithesis of Mwangale who would bring sustainable development through empowerment programs rather than handouts. After twenty three years of Mwangale as Member of Parliament, Mukhisa must have realized that as much as the people had grown weary of Mwangle, changing the script too radically would have alienated him from the populace.
Therefore, by happenstance or design, he matched Mwangale in every yardstick important to Kimilili politics. Remember, that kingship had already been defined by his predecessor. His task therefore, was to redefine it, but to do that, he first had to be fit to lead.
Mukhisa Kituyi Checked All The Boxes Kimilili Politics
First, Kituyi was highly educated – more than Mwangale. Secondly, he too had conquered the conqueror evident by his Caucasian equally highly educated wife. Thirdly, he could match Mwangale in garb as his Wakifumbusia slogan was more now, fresh, action oriented and attuned to local realities than Mwangale\’s Bubwami kimiandu (power is wealth).
Fourth, running on the FORD Kenya opposition ticket, Mukhisa had national visibility as part of a group of young turks working towards Kenya’s second liberation. Fifth, just like Mwangale, Mukhisa was born into a family whose parents were ‘Quaker royalty’ – for lack of a better word. Sixth, and crucially too, Mukhisa had an arrogance that can only be compared to Jose Mourinho’s during his “I am a special one” era.
Therefore in 1992, in many ways, allow us to say this, Mukhisa Kituyi was the Elijah Mwangale of 1969. Young, educated, suave and damn ambitious. He spoke the language of leadership that the people understood. However, despite his residual influence in both local, regional and national politics today, Kituyi\’s reign was not to be as long as that of Mwangale.
In a way, Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi’s no handout redesign of Kimilili politics proved too much of a redesign. You can say, that a conflict persisted within the people of Kimilili. Those who wanted ‘tangible development’ in their pockets and those who had bought into Dr Mukhisa Kituyi’s vision of tomorrow. As it is said, the sun comes after the rain. Kimilili was ready for another version of leadership.
Dr David Eseli Simiyu
Dr Eseli Simiyu a man with a unique flavor of accomplishment that breads flamboyance, succeed Dr Mukhisa Kituyi. Let me tell the story of the rise of Dr Eseli Simiyu. The soft spoken man with bags of people skills is an accomplished son of the soil. He did his bachelor of science in medicine and bachelor of science in surgery from at the University of Nairobi. He then did his masters in pediatrics as he rose in the Kenyan army. While in the forces, he rose to the rank of Major. On retirement as a major, he then joined the University of Nairobi this time as a senior lecturer. Impressive CV, huh!
In addition, Dr Eseli’s father had been a Bungoma County Council Councilor for a decade. Thus the good doctor, just like Elijah Mwangale, was an heir of sorts. However, when Dr Eseli plunged into politics in 2007, he was seen as an under dog. Unlike his competitors, he didn’t speak fluent Bukusu. This saw him fail a crucial metric in Mwangale’s score of fit-to-lead in Kimilili politics. Dr. Mukhisa, particularly, grossly under estimated Eseli.
Underdog
There was a perfect show of the 19th rule of power: know who you are dealing with; do not underestimate your opponent or think less of him. Possibly because of his famed hubris Dr. Mukhisa took Dr. Eseli too lightly. In fact he even asked those who opposed his rule to rather vote Eseli than anyone else. True to his word, the populace heeded and voted in Eseli.
However, Eseli’s reign didn’t last long enough to make an indelible mark in Kimilili politics. It was through no fault of his own but rather incredible foresight that secured his political base. Changes in electoral boundaries saw Tongaren constituency, that he now represents, hived off the larger Kimilili constituency.
Suleiman Murunga
A perennial contender for the seat, Hon. Murunga finally tasted power in the transition period following the split of Kimilili constituency. He must go down as the most anti Kimilili politics leader ever to rule. This is because the former Nzoia Sugar Chairman lacks the suaveness or gift of garb of his predecessors. Nonetheless, Murunga had a claim to visibility as the proprietor of the infamous Simmers Bar and Restaurant at the heart of Nairobi CBD.
Mutuwa Didmus Wekesa Barasa Okitilile
Didmus is the younger brother to Denson Barasa, the chief officer in the office of the governor Wycliffe Wangamati. Make no mistake however, Okitilile is a man on his own. Possibly the most smart streetwise chap you’d ever meet. Moreover, he is a perfect example of a politician with nine lives like a cat. First of all his brother Denson then a trade unionist was the first one to show interest in the Kimilili parliamentary seat.
However, Didmus out smarted him. Maybe, it was a case of ekhabi ekhila lukondo. Or like the Saboat say: Luck is better than education. In fact, at some point during the campaigns, his clan had to sit the two down. Possibly in recognition of how Didmus embodies Kimilili politics, Denson was prevailed upon to step down.
Masinde Muliro’s Hand
We can’t help but draw parallels with the situation that a young Mwangale faced in 1969. Then, Elijah Mwangale’s elder brother Wekhomba had been approached to take over from a figure as lukewarm as Suleiman Murunga – a Mr Mark Barasa. Not one with a stomach for politics, Wekhomba fronted his younger brother Elijah Mwangale. Popular accounts of the time had it that all this had the blessing of doyen of Luhya politics the late Masinde Muliro.
A hard runner just like Mwangale, Didmus did his homework. He went down to the villages and crisscrossed the constituency building his name. When the hour was nigh, he started somersaulting. First he was in ODM. He then defected to ANC. He flirted with the Kutalang’i party Ford Kenya before finally settling for Jubilee party. All this time his popularity never waned.
The Reincarnation of Elijah Mwangale Brand Of Politics of Kimilili in Didmus Barasa
Just like don Elijah Mwangale through flamboyance, rhetoric and generosity Barasa marshaled fanatical support among masses.
Didmus is a flamboyant young man. For Elijah Mwangale\’s kiko and glistening walking stick, he always has this eye catching red beret on. The kind Julius Malema and Bobi Wayne don. And just like his would be contemporaries, Didmus is good with the microphone. Just like his predecessors, he has a good command of English and Lubukusu. His speeches resonate well with the masses. Moreover, he makes good use of humor. You will often hear masses bursting out in laughter with Didmus on the mic.
His campaign slogan okitilie translated means: the one who has gotten it. The symbolism of such clever rhetoric cannot be lost on us. Remember his predecessor Hon Mukhisa Kituyi’s slogan of Wakifumbusia? Well, that which Mukhisa flushed out of the woods, Didmus had got hold of it.
True to his slogan, and in keeping with the high visibility needed to be fit to rule in Kimilili, Didmus has gotten it. Moreover, he frequently brings the prey home for there is no other Member of Parliament who has hosted the presidency like Didmus. He has also built schools all over his constituency. He has also made sure no grass thatched houses in Kimilili.
Vuka Border
Yet again, in the habit of Be Wa Amtallah like Elijah Mwangale before him, Didmus often doesn’t remember the boundaries of his constituency. Many at times he gets in trouble with his peers who accuse him for stepping on territories. But Didmus’s generosity knows no boundaries he has launched car wash projects in Kanduyi constituency, replaced thatch with iron sheets for the less fortunate in Tongaren constituency among other projects.
In the current political dichotomy of Kieleweke and Tangatanga, Didmus strong push for the deputy president to bag a slice of the Luhya vote may have earned him a few detractors. Nonetheless, the be wa Amtallah should all proud of him. Remember the pride of Elijah Mwangale\’s Basamobi? Well, it is a pride that all be wa Amtallah share in.
The Amtallah Bukusu are the bukusu who are well educated. They listen to radio and watch news. As they are ardent followers of national politics, they adherent consume news on radio and tv. Thus just as they did with Mwangale, they take pride in hearing their leaders contributing to debates and bringing motions on the floor of the house.