Gusii leaders have intensified their calls for a more significant share of government appointments in President William Ruto’s broad-based government.

In recent weeks, top leaders from the region have expressed increasing concerns that the Gusii community is being overlooked in the latest government appointments.

On Wednesday, January 22, 2025, a section of Nyamira leaders led by Mugirango West Member Parliament Stephen Mogaka urged President Ruto to appoint them to substantial positions, such as cabinet secretaries and principal secretaries.

“Cabinet secretary positions and principal secretary positions are all we want. Any other roles would be merely bonuses,” Mogaka said.

He appealed to the president to consider leaders from Nyamira County, emphasizing that the Gusii community is divided between two counties.

“I plead with the president, as you reorganise your government, please remember that there are Kisiis, and we are represented in two groups: those from Nyamira County and those from Kisii County,” he said.

Mogaka was accompanied by Nyamira County youth leaders, who described Ruto’s recent appointments as ‘peanut positions.’

“We want cabinet secretaries, permanent (principal) secretaries, not chairmen of boards. We want our people to sit at the national table,” one of the youth leaders, Duke Ombagi, said.

The youth leaders argued that their region has been overlooked in appointments, claiming they are consistently the last to receive their share of government resources.

Sidelined community

This statement follows remarks from Nyaribari Masaba Member of Parliament (MP) Daniel Manduku, who recently accused Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga of sidelining the Gusii community despite their years of consistent political support.

Speaking on a local media station on January 20, 2025, Manduku expressed dissatisfaction with ODM’s failure to provide tangible rewards for the Gusii region, emphasizing the lack of significant political appointments.

“Where I come from in Kisii, we have an issue with the party. Raila Odinga gave all the party positions to his Luo tribesmen. We Kisiis, have gotten nothing from Odinga. We are not happy with the party,” Manduku said.

The MP further explained that the recent alignment of some ODM members with Ruto has not benefited the party, claiming that their actions were individual decisions rather than official endorsements.

“Those colleagues of ODM who joined the government joined on their own volition. There was never a meeting of the party to decide to join the Broad-based government led by President Ruto…They’re the ones who have benefitted on their own, the party has not benefitted from those appointments,” he said.

Formation of a new party

On January 20, 2025, Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka announced that the Abagusii community will support Fred Matiang’i in his presidential bid for the 2027 general election, hinting at the potential launch of a new political party.

In a statement shared on his X account that same day, the outspoken senator described the endorsement of the former Interior CS as a crucial step in a political process aimed at empowering the community to play an active role in shaping its political future.

“The 2010 Constitution liberated us from the servitude of non-democratic actions, curtailing us from making independent choices and participating in political pursuits freely, fairly and pushing for our equitable role in the political front,” Onyonka said.

“Therefore, having keenly scrutinized the current developments in our nation through broad consultations and soul searching, the Gusii Community, guided by our country’s democratic values, we envision for our own party that will propel our political interests at the national level.”