ODM Juja loss blamed on direct nomination

The Orange Democratic Movement head office has been blamed for the party’ dismal performance in the just concluded Juja parliamentary by-election.

The ODM candidate Dick Githaiga managed to get a paltry 399 votes to emerge in eighth position out of ten candidates. In the 2007 elections the party’s candidate got nearly 8,000 votes.

Constituency elections coordinator Andrew Ng’ang’a Wanjukira said the direct nomination given to Mr Githaiga did not go down well with branch officials, who had recommended another candidate.

“The secretariat ignored a recommendation by the branch and gave the ticket to a stranger who is a chairman of another party from which he has never resigned,” said Wanjukira adding that as a result officials decided to back William Kabogo of Narc Kenya who emerged victorious.

Mr Kabogo polled 45,020 votes and trounced nine other candidates including former MP Gorge Thuo (PNU) who came third with 19,366 votes. In second position was Alice Wambui Ng’ang’a, who garnered 24,326 votes.

The ODM official said the party was still popular in the area and cited the credible performance of a civic candidate in the Gatuanyaga ward by-election two months ago, who got more than 800 votes to clinch the third position out of ten aspirants.

Mr Ng’ang’a and the branch vice-chairman Dunstone O Wandera called for a dissolution of the branch saying it was being run by “political brokers and opportunists". They demanded that fresh elections be held to pick new office bearers.

Meanwhile, agents of the ODM candidate held the constituency campaign manager David Moreka hostage for hours demanding payment of their dues.

The127 polling officials were eventually paid Sh500 each after camping at Mr Githaiga’s shop most of Wednesday. The agents later told reporters they were short-changed as they were to be paid Sh 1,000 each.