Homa Bay Governor and ODM Chairperson Gladys Wanga has lost her political compass. What once looked like a steady rise to national leadership is now clouded by misplaced anger, reactionary politics and endless fights that offer little benefit to the people she leads.
This week, Wanga launched a fierce attack on Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga, claiming the two had conspired to mock the late Raila Odinga’s death. In her own words, she said, “What I know is that Kahiga does not speak for himself. Kahiga is the spokesperson of Rigathi Gachagua.”
She went further, saying, “Rigathi Gachagua mocked Raila’s illness and asked whether he was a virus and whether Kalonzo was a bacterium. To date, Rigathi Gachagua has yet to mourn Raila.” She then declared that ODM would not associate with any of Gachagua’s allies, adding, “The principle is that the friend of your enemy is your enemy.”
Such statements might excite political loyalists, but they reveal a worrying drift in Wanga’s leadership. The governor has chosen to turn every national event into a tribal contest.
Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga. Photo: Governor Gladys Wanga Source: Facebook
Instead of promoting unity and progress, she is dragging the Luo community into unnecessary battles that deepen divisions and distract from real development needs.
The people of Homa Bay did not elect Wanga to defend Raila Odinga’s legacy in every argument. They entrusted her with the duty of transforming a county still struggling with poor infrastructure, high unemployment and low investor confidence.
Every day spent in press conferences attacking rivals is a day lost for the fishermen of Lake Victoria, the traders in Kendu Bay and the youth who need jobs, not politics.
Governor Wanga should return to the basics of leadership. The Luo people need roads, hospitals and economic empowerment, not rhetoric. It is time she stopped fighting imaginary enemies and focused on rebuilding Homa Bay’s promise.
