Aden Duale accuses ODM of mischief over Eala candidates

National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale has accused the Opposition of making mischief in its decision to nominate five candidates, instead of 12, from which MPs will elect four to the East African Legislative Assembly.

In a letter to Speakers Justin Muturi and Ekwee Ethuro, Mr Duale said Cord’s decision effectively restricts MPs’ freedom of choice in picking the best candidate to represent Kenya at the regional assembly.

Cord had originally named four nominees through a list submitted to the secretariat by Minority Whip Thomas Mwadeghu, with the number later growing to five after Senate Minority Leader Moses Wetang’ula added a Ford-Kenya nominee.

Mr Duale said his interpretation of the rules is that a party should nominate thrice the number of candidates it is entitled to and this is to give the lawmakers a chance to reject any of the candidates in line with the election principle.

TIED HANDS

“In forwarding only four candidates, the Cord coalition mischievously seeks to deny the House the freedom of choice to reject any or all of the four candidates.

"Even if the number is increased to five by virtue of the nomination by Ford-Kenya, the House is still being denied a choice to reject four out of the five candidates,” said Mr Duale.

He said given that records show that 41 people had applied through Cord – 24 in the National Assembly and 17 in the Senate – Cord was mischievously trying to tie MPs’ hands at the voting stage.

Mr Duale urged the Speakers to get Cord to present written records of the process through which they arrived at the five candidates.

Mr Mwadeghu had named Abubakar Zein, Judith Pareno, Ronald Ngeny and Kennedy Musyoka while Mr Wetang’ula added Caroline Aluoch as Ford-Kenya’s nominee.

RIGOROUS PROCESS

The majority leader also urged the Speakers to put the 11 independent candidates through a more rigorous process before their names go on the ballot for the elections scheduled for May 25.

He said that judging from their papers, none of them had gathered enough support from registered voters.

“Support by registered voters is the formula used to replace the rigorous process of nomination by a political party and it would be unfair to require party candidates go through the party process while the independent candidates (are) spared from the process of gathering the required signatures from registered voters,” he said.

RULES

He said that as a result of these shortcomings, the independent candidates fall short of the East African Community Treaty and the Election Rules.

“The nomination of these candidates should therefore be revoked,” he added.

The independent candidates are Duncan Mwangi Ndegwa, Mohamud Shikh Adan, Thomas Katua Ngui, Collins Odingo Odhiambo, Walter Momanyi Misire, John Maina Kihu, John Nekesa Olusa, Billy Mrema Baltazar, Anthony Kibagendi, Fredrick Isika Kalumbo, Jack Obiero Juma, Pamela Odira Aira, Caroline Aluoch Obure, Steve Marwa Machage and Suleiman Seka Achiki.