Suna West MP Peter Masara during an academic day at St Peter Abwao Boys HIGH School.
Suna West Member of Parliament and Migori gubernatorial hopeful Peter Masara has declared that decades of street protests and confrontational opposition politics have failed to deliver meaningful economic transformation to the Nyanza region, urging residents to embrace strategic political engagement with the national government as a pathway to development.
Speaking during a public engagement forum in Suna West Constituency, the second-term legislator strongly defended the broad-based political arrangement between the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza administration, arguing that the cooperation has already begun unlocking development opportunities for Luo Nyanza.
Masara said the region had spent over four decades participating in demonstrations, resistance movements and opposition politics, yet many communities continued to struggle with underdevelopment, unemployment and poor infrastructure.
According to the legislator, the time had come for leaders from the region to shift from confrontational politics to constructive engagement in order to influence government policy and secure a fair share of national resources.“We have done street protests for over 40 years.
Now is the time to criticize and influence the government from within so that we can finally realize true devolution and address historical injustices,” Masara stated.
The MP dismissed claims that the broad-based arrangement amounted to political surrender, insisting instead that it was a strategic move aimed at ensuring the region does not remain isolated from national development programs.
“This broad-based arrangement is not about surrender; it is about strategic engagement so that our region and our people are not left behind,” he added.
Masara pointed to several ongoing and planned infrastructure projects within Suna West Constituency as direct benefits of the region’s improved relationship with the national government.
Among the projects he highlighted include the ongoing construction of affordable housing units at Piny Oyie, the planned launch of the Kababu Road construction project expected to begin next week, and the proposed tarmacking of the strategic Oruba Road linking the area to Migori town.
The lawmaker said such projects would stimulate local economic growth, improve transport networks and create employment opportunities for residents.
At the same time, Masara urged Kenyans to remain hopeful despite the country’s prevailing economic hardships, assuring wananchi that the government was working on interventions aimed at lowering the cost of living.
He cited planned fuel subsidy measures among the initiatives expected to cushion citizens from rising fuel prices and economic pressure.
“The economic challenges we are facing are temporary. The government is working on interventions that will stabilize the economy and cushion ordinary wananchi,” he said.
Masara’s remarks come against the backdrop of Nyanza’s long history as one of Kenya’s most politically active opposition strongholds.
For decades, the region played a central role in civil resistance movements and pro-democracy campaigns under opposition leaders such as the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and ODM leader Raila Odinga.
Street protests and political demonstrations in Nyanza significantly contributed to Kenya’s democratic reforms, including the repeal of Section 2A that had entrenched one-party rule, the expansion of civil liberties, media freedoms and eventually the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution.
The 2010 Constitution introduced devolution, strengthened human rights protections and created county governments that fundamentally transformed governance structures across the country.
Political analysts acknowledge that opposition-led resistance movements helped shape Kenya’s democratic space and opened political freedoms enjoyed today.
However, a growing section of leaders from the region now argue that despite those democratic gains, Nyanza remained economically marginalized for years due to strained relations with successive governments.
Masara’s sentiments appear to reflect this emerging school of thought that prioritizes development partnerships and access to state resources over prolonged political confrontation.
The legislator also cautioned political leaders against divisive rhetoric and ethnic polarization, warning that irresponsible politics threatens national unity.
Reflecting on the country’s expanded democratic space under the 2010 Constitution, Masara observed that politicians today enjoy freedoms that were previously unimaginable during earlier regimes.
He cited former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s political survival following impeachment battles as evidence of Kenya’s growing democratic maturity.
“Before the 2010 Constitution, some leaders like the former Deputy President could have been in jail right now because their utterances are always tribal and divisive,” Masara remarked.
Even so, he warned leaders against abusing constitutional freedoms by promoting inflammatory and tribal politics.
“The preservation of national unity must override personal and factional interests,” he emphasized.
On ODM party politics, Masara called for unity, loyalty and strategic reorganization within the Orange party ahead of the next electoral cycle.
While paying tribute to ODM’s founding leadership and historical contribution to Kenya’s democratic struggles, he stressed the need to strengthen party structures in order to maintain its political dominance in traditional support bases.
Political observers interpret Masara’s remarks as part of a broader effort by sections of ODM leaders to consolidate grassroots support for continued cooperation with President Ruto’s administration.
The messaging signals a pragmatic political shift within parts of the opposition, where development-centered engagement is increasingly being prioritized over sustained street protests and hardline opposition politics.
Masara also appeared to issue a veiled criticism of Migori County’s current leadership, in remarks widely interpreted as targeting Governor Ochilo Ayacko’s administration.
The MP insisted that leadership must ultimately be judged based on service delivery and tangible development outcomes.“Leadership is all about service delivery.
If a leader cannot deliver, the only option is taking him home democratically by voting them out,” Masara said.
His remarks are expected to intensify political debate within Migori County as succession politics ahead of the next general election continue gaining momentum.
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