By Anderson Ojwang
Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) is back to its usual nomination theatrics, manipulation and confusion emerging ahead of November by-election for Kasipul constituency.
The battle of the factions pits ODM national chairperson Gladys Wanga, Minority Leader in the Assembly Junet Mohammed and a section of MPs against Siaya Senator Dr Oburu Oginga and his sister Dr Wenwa Akinyi, blood relative to the party leader Raila Odinga.
Professionals from Kasipul led by Eng Tom Awino Okoko have called and convened a meeting for 1,500 members at Agoro Sare this Wednesday over what they termed “overbearing and attempts by the governor to impose her a candidate.”
“Eng Okoko has been forced by professionals to urgently call a meeting. We will meet and later the professionals will engage with the elders, women, youths and finally the aspirants. We demand free and fair nomination without any favouritism from any quarters,” said Mr Baldwin Oluoch, a member of the professional caucus.
Raila has come under pressure from the two factions who want direct ticket awarded to their candidates without the party going through the rigorous nomination process.
Wanga and her team support the son of the late area MP, the slain Charles Ongondo Were, Boyd Were, who she has been campaigning for to replace his father.
Oburu and Wenwa are vouching for Mr Kepha Newton Ogada, a brother-in-law to Wenwa, who has also expressed interest in the seat.
Wenwa has been a passive player in the ODM party politics and nominations and it is for the first time she has come out to support a candidate, who on Sunday, she accompanied to various functions held in Siaya County, where Raila presided over.
For Boyd, Wanga is leading the campaigns and has instructed her officers from the area to campaign for him while those who had political ambitions were prevailed upon to support the candidate.
Several aspirants had declared interest to contest the seat on ODM ticket and they include Samwel Owida, Philip Aroko, Victor Mbaka, Boyd Were, Rateng Otiende, Tom Sipul, Ajoh Mbuta, Ken Okoth Jam, Joash Aloo, Swaleh Omondi, Okindo Majiwa, Colins Otieno, Newton Ogada, Edward Oloo Otula and Allan Odera while Robert Money Mabior will run as independent candidate.
Recently, a section of MPs from Nyanza led by Wanga have been on a campaign drive and lobbying for a direct ticket to Boyd.
The defiant Wanga and other leaders recently presented Mr Boyd at local churches and asked the residents to support his candidature to inherit his father’s seat.
Wanga, Homa Bay Town MP Opondo Kaluma, Senator Moses Kajwang, Minority Whip Millie Odhiambo and Roza Buyu (Kisumu West) said late Were’s son was the best-suited family member to replace his father as Kasipul Member of Parliament.
In Kasipul constituency, Wanga has directed employees at the county to support and campaign for Boyd and this explains why Chief Officer for Governance Mr Isaack Ongiri has been holding series of meetings to drum support for the aspirant.
Equally, Mr Joash Aloo, a CEC at the county who had expressed interest in the seat and had embarked on engaging with the electorate has stopped his political activities after he was prevailed upon by the governor.
Attempts by the governor to prevail over her deputy Oyugi Magwanga to support Boyd failed to yield fruit after the latter declined and called for a free and fair nomination to allow the electorate to elect a leader of their choice.
Despite Magwanga being related to Ogada, he has taken a neutral ground by requesting the party to allow free and fair nomination to allow the constituents to elect a leader of their choice.
For over two decades, and in the successive general elections and by-elections various aspirants for the parliamentary, gubernatorial, senatorial, and county assembly seats have been butchered at the altar of the party’s nominations.
Several bright budding political careers have been brought to nought while career civil servants, professionals, and business persons with a dream of offering leadership in politics have stayed away fearing the butcher’s knife and the consequence.
ODM nominations have been a theatre of political deception, manipulation and hoodwinking of the aspirants of a ‘free and fair’ nomination only to end up guillotined after spending tens of millions on the campaigns.
In the last general elections, the party took the aspirants for a ride by promising a free and fair nomination, invited them to pay nomination fees only to end up with boardroom decisions where majority of MPs were given direct tickets while gubernatorial and senatorial candidates were not subjected to nominations.
The injustices by the party over nominations have finally caught up with it and were aptly captured by the Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna during a recent TV interview when he said that the excitement about ODM party ticket was on a downward spiral.
“With the expected by-elections in the country, most aspirants are shying away from using the ODM ticket as they fear destroying their political careers. They have instead opted for other parties or to contest as independent candidates,” he said.
For those gunning for the ODM ticket the clock may be ticking so fast and they could have no other choice but to go through the butcher’s knife.
