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On Ababu Namwamba's Exit, Varied Criticism and the Luyha Nation

On Ababu Namwamba's Exit, Varied Criticism and the Luyha Nation

In our African set up, it is prudent for a boy who is approaching the threshold of manhood to move out of his parents' home to start one of his own. He cannot continue sitting in the kitchen and watch his mother cook. He cannot continue sitting, waiting to fatten on the crumbs falling off his father's table. He must go out in the wild and hunt his own beast. This is how homes and communities grow. This is how development is realized. One has to move out of their comfort zones, take risks and be strong-willed to succeed.

Ababu Namwamba's resignation as the Secretary General of ODM can be interpreted in the context of the above scenario. But his move has invited mixed reactions and criticism. Very few people have praised him. I hear some say that his is political suicide. Some say his political career is over and he will lose his seat next year. Others say he has failed his people-- the Luyha's and proved that they will never unite and rule. And I ask myself: what nonsense is this? What is wrong when one resigns from a political post and even quits a party to form or join another?

Namwamba made a bold move and I laud him for that. He probably discovered that he wasn't gaining anything by sitting there comfortably. Moreover, he needs new challenges and advance his political career.

Those who talk of political suicide, how many people quit parties but still remain relevant? Oginga Odinga did it. Raila has done it severally. Many others do it. What really matters is one's policy and political ideology and ability to sell them to people.

Namwambexit doesn't depict anything sad about Luyha politics. It is a clear evidence that we are undergoing political transition and maturity.
By Prof
Jumuah kareem

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