Raila returns from UK with full in-tray ahead amid party poll woes
Azimio La Umoja presidential aspirant Raila Odinga has jetted back into the country after a week-long official engagement in the United Kingdom.
He has returned with a full tray of activities lined up for him, even as he braces for another round of gruelling campaigns in the run-up to the August polls.
Of concern is the Orange Party nominations, which have seen some loyalists decamp to other friendlier parties under the Azimio platform. Raila is also expected to deal with nominations in cosmopolitan areas where sibling party rivalry could cost him seats in favour of Kenya Kwanza.
In Nairobi for instance, ODM, Jubilee and Wiper are fielding candidates, who could split the votes and give the UDA aspirants an easy sweep.
Recent defections of Kisii Senator Sam Ongeri, former Kajiado Governor David Nkedienye, former Rongo MP Dalmas Otieno, Kakamega Deputy Governor Philip Kutima, Mwatate MP Andrew Mwadime and Kisii deputy governor Joash Maangi to DAP-K, Jubilee, UDA and Communist Party of Kenya, are clear indications that some aspirants do not believe the nominations will be free, fair, transparent and credible.
More streaming out
Politicians have raised concerns that despite ODM assuring of “free, fair and verifiable” primaries, more contestants have continued to stream out, claiming insincerity in the manner that senior party officials are conducting themselves ahead of the nominations slated for mid-April.
The party has also not been clear on the mode of nominations to adopt, making the situation dire, with only five days to the deadline for party hopping.
Yesterday, ODM suffered a setback after Mwadime decamped to the Communist Party of Kenya. Mwadime, who is among the candidates in the Taita Taveta governor contest, said his decision to ditch ODM was driven by fear of unfairly losing the party’s ticket during the nominations.
“Though I am popular on the ground, the reality is that the party might not give me the ticket. Our party’s structures have been compromised. That’s why I decided as early as today to move to a party where I know they will conduct free and fair nominations,” he said. “If ODM continues with this trend, we will witness many migrations. Every politician wants to be in a party that has open structures.”
The MP urged aspirants not to be moved by the size of a party but, instead, on the structures in place.
Political analyst Martin Andati argued that as long as individuals own political parties, aspirants would not have confidence in the nomination exercise. He told People Daily that although nominations are expensive, and parties will require huge funds to conduct the exercise, seasoned politicians will be weary.
The party has also not been clear on the mode of nominations it will adopt. Some officials have indicated the possibility of employing opinion polls to issue tickets, escalating an already dicey situation over fears on the authenticity of these surveys.
Beneficiaries of the intensifying uncertainty are parties within Azimio-One Kenya movement that support Raila’s candidature.
However, Siaya County gubernatorial aspirant Otieno Okanja asked fellow aspirants to have faith in the ODM National Election Board.
“The nominations will be free and fair and the best candidates will be given party tickets,” Okanja said amid outcry by aspirants that the process set to kick-off early next month is already flawed.
ODM nomination rules have four methods of picking candidates, which include consensus, opinion polls, direct ticketing and universal suffrage.
— Additional reporting by Robert Ochoro, Alvin Mwangi and Eric Juma
