By Anderson Ojwang
Old habits and dirty tricks in the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) have returned after the party leader Dr Oburu Oginga ordered the cancellation of Kisumu County elections, fearing his allies were likely to lose to the opponents.
Oburu directed the party’s National Election Coordination Committee to cancel the elections over what he termed the prevailing polarization informed by intelligence.
With hours to Friday elections, Oburu wrote to the National Chairperson Emily Awinja to postpone the election over what he termed as the prevailing polarized environment informed by intelligence.
He wrote “Following the prevailing polarized environment informed by intelligence, I have made a decision to inform you to cancel the elections slated for tomorrow Friday 6th 2026. Kindly comply and inform the concerned parties,” signed by Dr Oburu Oginga.
The move by Oburu could be a tip of the ice of what may be awaiting aspirants for the various elective seats in 2027 who intend to run on the ODM ticket. ODM has for decades failed to conduct transparent nominations with the leadership taking shambolic nominations or dishing out direct tickets.
A sharp division had emerged in the county election with Oburu supporting the current chairman Paul Akeyo, who had failed to garner any meaningful support from the delegates.
ODM National Chairperson, Governor Gladys Wanga and Kisumu Woman Rep Rosa Buyu were supporting Seth Ochieng Kanga alias Adui Nyang against the delegates’ favourite, Thomas Opande.
Sources told the writer that Oburu had telephoned the candidates with a view to build consensus and support Akeyo as the county chairman while Adui was to become the vice, while Opande was to be relegated to the periphery.
He was seen as an outsider and not part of the political matrix in the party, who could not be trusted to lead the party in Kisumu.
The sources revealed that after Oburu failed to prevail over the candidates he opted to cancel the elections in order to strategize.
In Kisumu, the battle over the delegates went a notch higher after the leading candidate, Opande, secured most of the delegates and hosted them for an overnight strategy meeting in Kisumu town.
“It is an unfortunate decision. I can tell you Opande was winning the elections. We spent a night together planning on how to win. We have the delegates and nothing will stop Opande from winning,” said one of the delegates.
The party grassroots elections have been marred by interferences by the national officials and controversy over the sub-branch elections.
Recently, Nyando MP Jared Okello sued the party, NECC Chairperson Awinja and Kenneth Ooko over the branch leadership at the Political Parties Tribunal Court.
Okello recently hosted Dr Oburu at his home where he bragged to the electorate as having been the one who sponsored the motion for sacking of the ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna during the recent National Governing Council (NEC).
Oburu at the function said Okello has been a good family friend and that he has been visiting him both at his rural and Nairobi homes.
Okello and three others sued ODM, Ahero MCA Kenneth Ooko, East Kano/Wawidhi MCA Moses Ochele and the National Election Coordination Committee Chairperson Emily Awiti, accusing the committee of unlawfully taking over the harmonization.
Okello through his lawyer argued that on 24th February, 2026, and to the utter dismay, the Chairperson National Election Coordination Committee (NECC) Ms Hon Emily Awitta proceeded with the unlawful meeting ex parte and in the absence of the applicants and issued a determination in favour of Ooko and Ochele.
They said by the Committee accepting the list presented by the 2nd and 3rd Respondents as the valid list for Nyando Sub-County Branch delegates was a traverse of justice.
Okello argued that on the following day, on 25th February 2026, the Chairperson National Election Coordination Committee (NECC) Ms Hon Emily Awitta put a Notice by the NECC announcing that it will conduct the County Delegates elections for Kisumu County on Friday 6th March 2026 from 9am until 12.00pm.
“The Complainants accused ODM and the Chairperson of the National Election Coordination Committee for having ignored the fact that Nyando Constituency have Five (5) Wards, represented by Five Members of the County Assembly of Kisumu,” they argued.
Okello through his lawyer argued that each Member of County Assembly is an elected representative of his or her area and only two members representing two wards were part of the alleged harmonization meeting.
That the majority of the three wards representing 60% in Nyando Constituency were disenfranchised and locked out of the negotiation and or the harmonization process.
They argued that the actions of Awitta were unlawful, unprocedural, discriminatory and disenfranchising to a majority of the ODM members in Nyando Constituency.
They argued that they have not only been prejudiced and disenfranchised by the actions of NECC but also their rights to participate in elections and affairs of the ODM party have been grossly violated contrary to the protection of Article 38 of the Constitution.
The decision of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party to appoint a new Harmonization Sub-Committee in their view was premised on the Principle of the Rules of Natural Justice to the effect that the National Election Coordination Committee (NECC) could not sit as an arbiter over a dispute whose outcome they presided over having been the organiser and the referee for the Nyando Constituency grassroots party elections.
On March 2, 2026, the Tribunal issued the order suspending the implementation of the February 24, 2026 decision by the ODM National Election Coordinating Committee pending the hearing and determination of the dispute.
