COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli has scoffed at Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala for ‘calling off’ his Luhya Unity meeting that is slated for December 31, 2021, at the historic Bukhungu Stadium, Kakamega County.
Speaking at the Maragooli Cultural Festival, which was graced by Ford Kenya party leader Moses Wetangula and ANC Party leader Musalia Mudavadi, a bullish Malala proclaimed that Atwoli’s Luhya Unity convention stood nullified, pending Musalia’s approval.
The Kakamega senator said that the much-hyped meeting would only proceed if he received a nod from his party leader, who has reportedly vowed to give the forum a wide berth.
“I have heard you (Mudavadi) saying that you will not attend the meeting. You all know that Kakamega is my territory. I want to tell the organizers of the said meeting that they must seek Mudavadi’s permission or else their meeting will not happen. But because Mudavadi has not given me a nod to allow them to convene their forum, I have officially called it off and no such meeting will happen at the Bukhungu Stadium on the 31st of December,” he said amid cheers from the crowd that attended the cultural festival.
In a quick rejoinder, Atwoli has downplayed Malala’s proclamation stating that the legislator lacks the political wherewithal to call off a meeting of that magnitude.
The trade unionist further termed the vocal politician as a junior senator who lacks the capacity to speak on behalf of the Luhya community.
“You are a junior Senator who has neither the capacity to speak on behalf of the Luhya community nor the ability to call on and off such a meeting. The Bukhungu II meeting brings together ALL progressive leaders and locals from the 5 counties in the region,” he tweeted.
The convention is set to bring together political leaders from the vote-rich region, as they seek to chart a political path for the region’s electorate ahead of the 2022 polls
