By Anderson Ojwang
Ugenya MP David Ouma Ochieng has successfully sprung surprises on the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) by winning the area parliamentary seat in the 2020 by-election through his party, Movement for Democracy and Growth (MDG).
Ochieng successfully challenged the election of ODM’s Chris Karan, and in the subsequent by-election, he won by 18,730 votes against Karan’s 14,507.
In the 2022 general election, Ochieng maintained his dominance over ODM by easily winning with 25,520 votes against David Odhiambo, who got 22,828.
Ochieng can be said to have successfully defied the ODM wave by being elected on his own party ticket in a region that overwhelmingly votes a six-piece from president to member of county assembly.
Currently, Ochieng is extending his political tentacles from Siaya County to Homa Bay County, where the party is presenting a candidate.
The MDG candidate, Mr. Collins Okeyo, who was previously viewed as an outsider in the contest and was not rated among the two front runners, is changing the political landscape of the constituency.
Okeyo is emerging as a surprise candidate who may win the by-election scheduled for November 27th.
Okeyo has embarked on the campaign strategies and tactics his boss employed to win the Ugenya by-election and the subsequent election.
Okeyo, a soft-spoken businessman, is viewed as the alternative to the two front runners—Boyd Were of ODM and Philip Aroko, an Independent candidate.
Okeyo resonates well with the electorate because he comes from a very humble background, and they easily identify with him.
“I have been engaged in various projects and drilled water boreholes in the constituency and participated in education and other development programs in the area,” he said.
Okeyo said his campaigns have been peaceful and his main agenda is to end violence and create a conducive environment in Kasipul to allow for economic growth and development.
“I preach peace in my campaigns. I am a Christian, and that foundation requires me to be a peacemaker. We must have a peaceful Kasipul for prosperity,” he said.
While his opponents have been engaged in rallies, Okeyo has been conducting a door-to-door campaign in all the polling stations.
Kasipul Constituency has five wards, namely: Central Kasipul with 15,475 voters, East Kamagak 9,074, South Kasipul 14,318, West Kamagak 14,342, and West Kasipul 15,043.
Okeyo comes from West Kasipul and is the only candidate from the ward. Philip Aroko and Robert Riaga come from East Kamagak, while Boyd Were comes from Central Kasipul. Rateng Otiende and Robert Ouko come from South Kasipul. West Kamagak, with 14,342 voters, has no candidate and will be the determiner and battleground.
In the history of Kasipul and Kasipul Kabondo constituencies, West Kasipul Ward has never produced an MP, while Central produced James Mbori in the larger Kasipul Kabondo; East Kamagak produced Oyugi Magwanga; and South Kasipul produced the late William Oloo Otula and Eng. Peter Owidi for the larger Kasipul Kabondo.
The area has, in recent times, been hard hit by political violence that left two people dead.
Subsequently, IEBC has summoned candidates for the by-election to appear before it over rampant political violence in the area.
“We as a commission were notified about violence in Kasipul. We dispatched our investigation team to the ground. They have concluded their investigation. We will summon those candidates in Kasipul to appear before the commission. Breaches of the code of conduct will be penalized,” said the chairman Erastus Edung Ethekon.
Recently, Deputy President Prof. Kindiki Kithure and Internal Security Permanent Secretary Dr. Raymond Omollo declared support for ODM candidate Boyd Were.
At an empowerment funds drive at Sikri in Kasipul, Kindiki and Omollo rallied the electorate to support Boyd as the Broad-Based candidate.
Omollo wrote on his X handle:
“Together with Deputy President Kindiki Kithure, we joined the people and regional leadership of Homa Bay County, led by Governor Gladys Wanga, for a resource mobilization and women empowerment drive in Kasipul Constituency.
The meeting also underscored the spirit of the Broad-Based Government, as leaders expressed unity of purpose while rallying behind ODM candidate Boyd Were within a framework of inclusivity and national cohesion.”
The move by the Deputy President and Omollo to support the ODM candidate threw the UDA leadership and fraternity under the bus and left them orphaned in the by-election.
The grumpy UDA activist Odoyo Owidi and his team, who had been leading the onslaught on Wanga and Boyd, were left stranded by the unfolding political scenario. They are yet to visit Kasipul to campaign.
Odoyo and the late MP, the slain Charles Ongondo Were (the father to Boyd, the ODM candidate), never saw eye to eye, and the decision by the top government leadership to support Boyd has left them punctured and headless.
Odoyo and Ongondo were both ODM aspirants for Kasipul in the 2022 general election, but the party issued a direct ticket to Ongondo, which did not amuse Odoyo.
Will Ochieng make another surprise in Kasipul and potentially become the main competitor to ODM in Nyanza?
