Veteran Siaya politician Nicholas Odero Gumbo on Wednesday night shared a post on his Facebook account to clarify the highpoints of a visit he paid to Raila Amollo Odinga’s Capitol Hill office.
The former gubernatorial aspirant clearly stated that the purpose of the visit was to consult on his role as the Chairman of the Sugar Board of Kenya.
Speculation has been rife among a certain cadre of Siaya bloggers that since Gumbo paid a courtesy call on Energy CS James Opiyo Wandayi yesterday and another on Baba today then Siaya succession politics were discussed.
Nothing could be further from the truth as throughout the meeting Gumbo was accompanied by Sugar Board member Adan Sheikh who is an indegene of Northeastern Kenya.
Political temperatures have been heightened, unwittingly, by this cadre of bloggers following utterances made by Governor Orengo at the burial of the late George Nyang’ira Oduor in Ndori last month.
The group aligned to a cabinet minister from the region have been trying to undermine the Governor by sending mixed signals about a scheduled visit by the Governor to State House.
If indeed, there’s a working alliance between Gumbo and the CS it is difficult to conceive who among the two will deputize the other as Gumbo is the more seasoned politician while the egocentric CS would never bow down for anything less than taking a shot at the gubernatorial seat.
As speculation continue the incumbent office holder continues, undeterred with his agenda for uplifting the living standards of the residents of Siaya.
Below is the full statement by Engineer Nicholas Odero Gumbo.
“In my capacity as Chair, Kenya Sugar Board, and in the company of fellow board member, Adan Sheikh, I was honoured to pay a courtesy call on His Excellency, The Rt. Hon. Raila Amolo Odinga, at his private office in Nairobi.
The Rt. Hon. Raila is a key stakeholder in the sugar value chain.
We briefed him on the ongoing reforms in the sugar sub-sector, which aim to steer the sub-sector back to the path of growth and attainment of domestic self-sufficiency, while ensuring maximum returns for all the players.
The Rt. Hon. Raila shared valuable insights, drawn from his many years of involvement in the sub-sector in various capacities.
He urged the Board to remain focused on its core mandate of ensuring the country attains self-sufficiency through domestic production, while transferring maximum benefits to our farmers, millers, and all stakeholders in the sub-sector.
He assured the Board of his full support for the reforms being undertaken, and expressed his readiness to be available to offer advice whenever required.”
—Nicholas Odero Gumbo
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