By Hope Barbra
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) nomination for the Kasipul by-election is turning out to be a two-horse race between two main blocs allied to the candidates.
The leading candidates are Boyd Were, the son of the slain immediate former area MP Charles Ongondo Were, and Newton Kepha Ogada.
Boyd has the support of ODM National Chairperson and Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga and a section of ODM MPs and officials, while Ogada has the support of Siaya Senator, Dr Oburu Oginga, his sister Wenwa Akinyi Odinga, and the Kasipul professional caucus.
Interestingly, only five aspirants applied for the ODM ticket, and they include Boyd, Ogada, Okindo Majiwa, George Mbuta, and Dr Adel Ottoman.
Another 12 aspirants who had shown interest in the party ticket either sought an alternative vehicle or shelved their ambitions over fear of manipulation of the exercise and interference by the party officials.
The aspirants who have sought different political vehicles include Philip Aroko, Robert Riaga, Collins Okeyo, Victor Mbaka, Samwel Owida, Joash Aloo, Omondi Swaleh, Sam Otiende, and Shadrack Oketch, who have yet to declare whether they are in the race or have opted out.
For the first time in history, the excitement and scramble for the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) ticket in Nyanza has thawed, with leading aspirants for the Kasipul parliamentary by-election seeking alternative vehicles.
ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna had warned three months ago about aspirants’ apathy over the party certificate, and sources within say only two aspirants have expressed interest in the party ticket by paying the nomination fees.
Sifuna, during a live TV interview with Citizen TV, revealed that the excitement over the ODM ticket was waning and that aspirants were opting for other parties—something the party has to contend with.
Ogada is banking on his community support for widows, where he has constructed 6,000 houses in the county, while in Kasipul, he has built 2,000 for widows and the vulnerable.
Ogada also runs a hospital which he built in 2013 and also has an orphanage that supports 211 children, most of whom are schooling in his institution.
He has held several health outreaches in Kasipul and other parts of the county and country.
“I have undertaken several development projects not only in Kasipul but in Homa Bay County and other counties. One of the beneficiaries of my education programme and orphanage is currently studying medicine in the USA.
My work speaks for itself. I have a development record unmatched by any of my competitors, and that is why I want to be the MP—to escalate the development,” he said.
Boyd is relying on his father’s achievements and that of the county government to win the ODM ticket and eventually the election.
He hopes that with Wanga and other ODM MPs’ support, he will win the ticket and the election to inherit his father’s seat.
Wanga has directed county government employees from the area to campaign for Boyd and even prevailed upon her CEC, Dr Joash Aloo, to forgo his ambition and instead back her candidate.
The decision by Wanga to declare support for Boyd has divided the party right in the middle and forced most of the aspirants to seek alternative vehicles for the by-election.
Equally, the Kasipul professional group, led by Eng. Tom Awino Okoko, wrote to the ODM Party Leader Raila Odinga to express their concern over interference in the nomination by party officials.
The professionals had threatened to oppose any form of imposition of a candidate on them and want to be allowed to independently elect a candidate of their choice.
“The interference in the ODM nomination by the national chairperson is eroding the party’s national outlook and may undermine its performance in the by-election. Let the people be given a free hand to elect a candidate of their choice,” Ogada said.
Previously, over 14 aspirants had declared interest to vie for the ODM ticket, but the excitement has faded, leaving ODM as a shell.
ODM is reputed for nomination anomalies, with the party leadership known to interfere with the exercise or, on occasion, award direct tickets to their preferred candidates.
Wanga and her deputy, and former area MP Oyugi Magwanga, have differed over the nomination, with Magwanga demanding that the electorate be allowed to elect a candidate of their choice.
And now the battle is shaping up to be a war ground between Wanga and Magwanga, who are likely to face off in the 2027 General Election.
The by-election is so crucial and strategic for both Wanga and Magwanga ahead of the 2027 General Election, where they may face each other at the ballot box for the county seat.
For Wanga, Ongondo’s demise left a vacuum and void that she must fill with her preferred candidate to checkmate Magwanga.
Ongondo was the checkmate to Magwanga, and the two were bitter rivals who rarely shared a podium. Ongondo was used by Wanga to checkmate and tame her deputy and control his political influence in the constituency.
For Magwanga, he wants to have a say in the constituency that he once represented for two terms before he decided to have a stab at the gubernatorial seat in the 2017 and 2022 elections.
Kasipul remains his fulcrum if he intends to pursue his ambition, and he wants a new MP allied to him to take over from Ongondo.
This explains the recent meeting of some aspirants from the area who converged in Nairobi to champion a united front in the party nominations.
The differing political stand between Wanga and Magwanga was observed after the former visited the latter at his home with a view to seek his support for Boyd Were.
Wanga and her team tried to prevail upon Magwanga to support Ongondo’s son, Boyd, but the latter was reluctant and did not commit to the proposal.
