Cord joint nominations rejected by affiliate parties
The Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (Cord) affiliate parties on Sunday denounced the joint nomination procedures announced by Elections Board on Saturday. Read (Cord parties to hold joint nominations)
At a press conference, the parties said they now feel “short-changed, manipulated and misused” by Cord officials after the coalition announced that there would be joint nominations.
“I want to state it clearly that we are supporting the presidency of Honourable Raila Odinga and the Deputy President Kalonzo Musyoka. What we are not supporting and agreeing is the joint nominations,” said Kathiani MP Wavinya Ndeti who is also the chair of the eight affiliate parties.
The parties, the Independent Party of Kenya (TIP), Kenya Social Congress, People Democratic Party, Chama Cha Mwananchi, Muungano Party, United Democratic Movement, Kaddu Asili and Chama Cha Uzalendo said they never agreed for the joint nomination idea even as Cord officials on Saturday announced they had consulted all the parties allied to Cord.
On Saturday, Cord officials led by its chairman Dalmas Otieno told reporters in Nairobi that they had agreed to hold joint nominations following “exhaustive consultations among our members” and its various coalition management organs.
The alliance is composed of ODM, Wiper and Ford-Kenya parties as founder members as well as the eight parties who have announced they would support the coalition.
ODM and Wiper have nominated contestants for the presidency and deputy respectively.
But the affiliate parties accuse the officials of trying to railroad them into joint nominations, an idea they say they had long rejected.
According to the narrative by PDP Chairman Steven Nyarangi, affiliate parties were called for a meeting at the Nairobi Safari Club to “fine-tune” an agreement on the nominations and for the other parties to be “catered for in the Cord.”
The meeting had been called by Mr Otieno, Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o (ODM Secretary-General), Mr David Musila (Wiper Chairman) and Kangundo MP Johnstone Muthama.
Mr Nyarangi told reporters that the four came up with a document stating that they had agreed as coalition partners go it alone and fill their respective candidates in nominations but support the Cord presidential candidates and the deputy president of the Cord arrangement.
But after the brief, the four MPs then told the affiliate parties representatives at the meeting that the entry of other parties in the coalition had “watered down” the earlier deal and that they suggested joint primaries.
Mr Nyarangi said representatives then asked to consult with their members, some of whom had paid nomination fees under their parties, first, before accepting the deal.
“We went there as party representatives. We did not have the authority to give a final word pertaining to our political parties. We told them that we come from our political parties with structures.
“We were shocked yesterday (Saturday) in the evening to hear from the news that they have changed our position, said that we had agreed for the joint nominations. We feel that we are being short-changed, manipulated and we are being misused as political parties,” he said.
