ODM party Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna on July 11, led a group of youthful Western Kenya leaders to launch a new political lobby group dubbed ‘Mulembe Youth Movement’.
Speaking in Kakamega during the inauguration of the new youth political group, Sifuna pointed out that the appointment of Health CAS Mercy Mwangangi, made him question the benefit of continuously backing the Western region's political titans, which in turn inspired him to join like-minded individuals to form the new group.
“Dr Mercy Mwangangi is the Chief Administrative Secretary of Health same to Zack Kinuthia as CAS for Education who are all youths. They are where they are because their leaders lobbied for them but when there were 15 slots of people to be appointed to parastatals, our leaders proposed names of retired politicians over 60 years old,” he stated.
Mulembe Youth Movement's leaders namely, Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala, Godfrey Osotsi (nominated MP), Caleb Amisi (Saboti MP), joined Sifuna in announcing that they would no longer back Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa, Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya, ANC party leader Musalia Mudavadi and his Ford-Kenya counterpart Moses Wetang’ula.
According to Sifuna, the new lobby group would also be comprised of youthful ward reps and youth leaders across the political divide and community-based organisations.
Sifuna further reiterated that all negotiations for appointments, financial commitments by the government and any other support intended for Western Region must be for the youth.
On his part, Senator Malala chose to remind the youth that the Luhya community people was growing fast and that they had recognised that this was a weapon they could use to push for change.
He went on to intimate that the youth group was geared towards gaining control of the region's politics ahead of the 2022 General Election.
The Senator signed off by revealing that the new political movement would start scouting for youths with political ambitions, looking to field them in the 2022 General Elections, "we will have candidates in all elective seats," he asserted.
During his remarks, Sifuna also announced that the group was fully behind the handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga as well as the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), adding that it was imperative that youths across the country got involved at every stage of negotiations.
Over 500 youthful leaders drawn from Vihiga, Kakamega, Busia, Trans Nzoia, Bungoma and Nairobi counties attended the launch.
Watch the launch of Mulembe Youth Movement below:
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