Fred Ouda loses Kisumu Central MP seat
Kisumu Central Member of Parliament (MP) Fred Ouda has been dealt a huge blow after he lost his bid to defend his seat.
Ouda, who was running on an independent ticket, became the first MP in Luo Nyanza to lose his seat after ODM's Joshua Oron was declared a winner of the Tuesday poll.
Oron was declared the winner by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) after garnering 54,060 votes. Ouda only managed 24,104 votes.
While announcing the results on Wednesday, the Returning officer in charge of the Kisumu Central constituency Yegon Kibos noted that the voter turnout was low.
"People did not vote and when put into a percentage, only 62 per cent voted while the other 38 did not vote despite us doing continuous voter education campaigns," he said.
Speaking to members after the victory, an elated Oron thanked the Orange Democratic Movement Party (ODM) for trusting in him and giving him the opportunity to represent the party.
"I want to thank my party and the great people of Kisumu Central for the trust they had in me and for choosing me to represent them in the parliamentary seat. Indeed I am grateful and I would like to assure them that I will represent them well," Oron stated.
The MP-elect also promised to serve everyone equally, including his opponents.
"I am not elected to serve only team Oron but the entire Kisumu Central team. I also welcome Ouda to shake hands with him over a cup of tea as we steer Kisumu Central together," he said.
Ouda skipped the announcement and only a handful of his allies followed the results at the constituency tallying centre.
