ODM, Amani face fallout after chaotic primaries in Kakamega

Officials of ODM and those of Amani National Congress in Kakamega County are back to the drawing board to try and heal rifts and avert a fallout after last week’s disputed nomination results.

The two parties belong to Nasa and enjoy huge support in the populous county but the disputed nomination results have opened cracks that threaten to undermine the Opposition’s support in the region with the August General Election just slightly over three months away.

Several MCAs elected on an ODM ticket lost in the nominations and are now pondering their next move as they battle for political survival.

In the ODM primaries, MPs Andrew Toboso (Butere), Raphael Otaalo (Lurambi), and Silverse Anami (Shinyalu) failed to clinch the party’s ticket after they were rejected by voters.

Mr Anami and Mr Otaalo said election board officials had declared their competitors winners despite delays in delivery of ballot papers in their strongholds.

ANOMALIES WITNESSED

They said anomalies had been witnessed during voting and tallying. “There was so much cheating and buying of votes and, for that reason, I have decided to pull out altogether from what is evidently a fraudulent party primary,” said Mr Otaalo.

Mr Anami and Mr Toboso have not publicly spoken about their next political move.

Khwisero MP Benjamin Andola found himself in a similar dilemma after the board ordered repeat nominations in the constituency following claims of anomalies.

Mr Andola, who had been declared the winner, declined to take part in the re-run which was won by Mr Benjamin Andama. “Some ODM officials who were uneasy with me have been scheming to have the results nullified so that the favourite aspirant can win,” said Mr Andola.

As the intrigues on the nominations play out, Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya has planned a meeting with the winners to strategise on the campaigns ahead.

BIG NAMES FELL
Mr Musa Chibole, a political adviser of Mr Oparanya, said the outcome of the nominations was not a surprise. “We had expected the big names to fall by the wayside going by the mood on the ground and we were prepared to deal with the fallout,” he said.

The scenario in ANC was no different after aspirants who lost said the process had been marred by irregularities.

Bishop Beneah Salala Okumu, who was vying for the Matungu parliamentary seat, described the primaries as a fraud.

“We were so shocked to see fellow aspirants storming polling stations accompanied by goons and transporting their supporters to vote in different polling stations across the constituency,” said Bishop Okumu, who added that if ANC did not solve the problem, he would run as an independent candidate.

ANC western region coordinator David Malala said the party had done its best to ensure the outcome of the nominations was credible.

He admitted that the nominations were dogged by logistical hitches and asked aspirants who were dissatisfied to lodge their appeals to a tribunal set up by the party.